VIP airlift to Bandung ready to take off

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.