VIP airlift to Bandung ready to take off

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

It is probably Garuda Airways' most prestigious airlift. At least five Boeing 737s have been laid on to fly dozens of leaders on the short 30 minute from Jakarta to Bandung early Saturday morning, with return flights scheduled for later in the afternoon.

Six flights are due to depart Halim Perdanakumah airport in Jakarta at 15 minute intervals starting 7 am. The return airlift from Bandung will begin at 4 p.m.

According to flight plans, each aircraft will be carry at least seven leaders along with heads of delegations from other countries.

Upon their arrival in Bandung, the passengers of each plane will be accommodated in two or three buses. Each leader/head of delegation will be accompanied by at least one security officer and, at the most, four delegates in each bus, which will then take them to the Savoy Homann Hotel where they will begin the historic walk to the Merdeka Building.

The way the passenger lists have been drawn up makes for some potentially interesting conversation during the flights. Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, for example, will be on the same flight as his Afghan counterpart, President Hamid Karzai. Both countries are currently frontline states in the U.S. war against terrorism

At least three leaders -- Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkaih will be arriving in Bandung in their own private aircraft.

Loong, in fact, became the first head of state to arrive in Bandung, touching down at Husein Sastranegara airport on Saturday afternoon.

Due to their respective state commitments, all three leaders, along with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, will not be attending all the proceedings in Bandung. They will depart immediately after lunch on their respective aircraft.

The remaining leaders will begin leaving Bandung en masse starting 3 p.m.

VIP Passenger List

Flight 1
ETD Jakarta 7 am
ETD Bandung 3 pm
On board: Leaders of Algeria, Cambodia, Thailand, South Korea, Laos, South Africa, India, Nigeria, the ASEAN secretary-general, and the UN secretary-general.

Flight 2
ETD Jakarta 7:15 am
ETD Bandung 3:15pm
On board: Leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Bahrain, Malaysia, Vietnam.

Flight 3
ETD Jakarta 7:30 am
ETD Bandung 3:30 pm
On board: Leaders of Ghana, North Korea, Lesotho, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Burundi, East Timor.

Flight 4
ETD Jakarta 7:45 am
ETD Bandung 3:45pm
On board: Leaders of Comoros, Malawi, Mongolia, Tunisia, Tajikistan, Botswana, Seychelles, Uganda,

Flight 5
ETD Jakarta 8 am
ETD Bandung 4 pm
On board: Leaders of Mozambique, Tanzania, Vanuatu, Swaziland, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius,

Flight 6
ETD Jakarta 8:15 am
ETD Bandung 4:15pm
On board: Indonesian special envoys Ali Alatas and Nana Sutresna along with representatives from international organizations such as the World Bank, the IMF and IDB.