Garuda To Increase Flight Routes

Jayapura, Papua, July 24 (Antara) - State-owned airlines Garuda Indonesia is planning to increase flight routes in Papua this year, a Garuda executive said. Garuda General Manager for Papua Supriyono said here on Wednesday that the flight routes would be increased next September, October and November. "We are planning to open the Sorong-Manokwari-Ujung Pandang new routes in September," Supriyono said. In October and November, he said, Garuda is planning to open a Marauke route. Garuda will still study and make an assessment on the local airport conditions. "Garuda is giving priority to safety so that if an airport location is viewed to be not meeting the safety standard, the opening of the new routes will be reconsidered," He said that Garuda now had tree routes in the province, namely Jayapura-Biak-Makassar-Jakarta, Jayapura-Timika-Denpasar-Jakarta and Jayapura-Makassar-Jakarta. "We have three airplanes now and we are planning to add two more," he said.