RI, Australia reach air deal

RI, Australia reach air deal

JAKARTA (JP): The Australian embassy announced yesterday that Indonesia and Australia have agreed to increase air services between the two countries within the next 18 months.

The embassy said in a statement that the agreement, reached in Australia last weekend, would allow Australia's Qantas and Indonesia's Garuda and Sempati airlines to increase the number of flights to and from Perth, Darwin, Port Hedland, Adelaide and Brisbane.

"The new arrangements will allow carriers to keep pace with the spectacular growth in traffic between Indonesia and Australia, our fifth largest aviation market which is growing by 20 percent a year," the statement quoted Australian Minister for Transport Laurie Brereton as saying.

Last year, over 6,200 people traveled each way per week between Indonesia and Australia.

"Australian carriers will also benefit from increased opportunities to operate beyond Indonesia to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, which are some of the largest aviation markets in the world," the minister said.(riz)