SMAC to serve Banda Aceh

JAKARTA (JP): Sabang Merauke Raya Air Charter (SMAC) will link Medan, North Sumatra, and Banda Aceh three times a week with 42- seat Fokker-27 airplanes starting on Wednesday, an executive of the private airline company said on Saturday.

Saifullah, head of the SMAC office in the Aceh capital, said that demand for air travel between the two provinces had increased, especially after the disruption of bus services between the two capitals.

He added that SMAC would depart Medan at 7:30 a.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

SMAC has thus far plied only the Banda Aceh-Sabang and Banda Aceh-Sinabang routes using the small planes.

Garuda also has planned to increase the capacity of its Jakarta-Banda Aceh service to meet the rising demand for air travel from the northern-most Sumatra province. (01)