Thai Airways adds flights to Indonesia

JAKARTA (JP): Thai Airways International, one of the world's leading airlines, has expanded its service in Indonesia to Surabaya, East Java.

A company representative in Jakarta, Irfan Rahadian, said here yesterday that the new flights linking Surabaya and Bangkok via Denpasar, Bali, began last Sunday.

He said the airline flew the new route three times a week (on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) in addition to the existing direct Bangkok-Denpasar route on Saturdays.

"Thai Airways considers Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, a potentially popular destination. There are many Thai people wanting to visit tourist destinations in East Java," Irfan said, adding that Thai Airways did not have a target in load factor rates for the new route.

The Thai Airways Airbus A-300-600 aircraft also link Jakarta and Bangkok 12 times a week.

Separately, chief of the Tourism, Post and Telecommunications office in Surabaya, Rio Judojanto, said here yesterday that Thai Airways was the ninth foreign airline serving Surabaya.

"But of the nine overseas airlines, two will soon stop their services, they are the National Jet System of Australia and KLM of the Netherlands," he said.

Other foreign airlines serving Surabaya are Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, China Southern and Cathay Pacific.

Foreign tourist arrivals in Surabaya have increased steadily in recent years to a record of more than 629,000 last year. This represented a 36 percent growth, Rio said. (icn)