ID :
57014
Thu, 04/23/2009 - 12:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/57014
The shortlink copeid
AUSTRALIA HOPES RI TO MAINTAIN GARUDA IN DARWIN
Brisbane, April 23 (ANTARA) - Australia's Northern Territory (NT) is hoping Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda will continue its almost 30-year presence in Darwin, sources here said.
"Northern Territory's Minister for Asian Relations Christopher Bruce Burns called State Enterprises Minister Sofyan Djalil on Wednesday afternoon (Darwin time) on the Garuda issue," Arvinanto Soeriaatmadja, second secretary at the Indonesian consulate in Darwin told ANTARA.
Basically, NT hoped Garuda would not stop its Denpasar-Darwin flight route because Darwin as a "gate" of Australia to Asia and many Australians and Indonesians have used and would use the Garuda flight services, Soeriaatmadja Pompea Sweet said quoting Pompea Sweet, and adviser of Minister Burns.
Dr Christopher Bruce Burns is also NT's minister for business, tourism, trade and defense.
Sweet hoped that Garuda would not only see the current condition but should also anticipate the future, besides it would not be easy to regain consumers' trust when Garuda Indonesia would plan to reopen the flight route.
Previously, the Indonesian tourism and cultural ministry's foreign affairs director, I Gde Pitana also regretted the decision of Garuda to close the Darwin-Denpasar route following the global economic crisis because it could be counterproductive for Indonesia's efforts to attract 480,000 Australian tourists this year.
"Northern Territory's Minister for Asian Relations Christopher Bruce Burns called State Enterprises Minister Sofyan Djalil on Wednesday afternoon (Darwin time) on the Garuda issue," Arvinanto Soeriaatmadja, second secretary at the Indonesian consulate in Darwin told ANTARA.
Basically, NT hoped Garuda would not stop its Denpasar-Darwin flight route because Darwin as a "gate" of Australia to Asia and many Australians and Indonesians have used and would use the Garuda flight services, Soeriaatmadja Pompea Sweet said quoting Pompea Sweet, and adviser of Minister Burns.
Dr Christopher Bruce Burns is also NT's minister for business, tourism, trade and defense.
Sweet hoped that Garuda would not only see the current condition but should also anticipate the future, besides it would not be easy to regain consumers' trust when Garuda Indonesia would plan to reopen the flight route.
Previously, the Indonesian tourism and cultural ministry's foreign affairs director, I Gde Pitana also regretted the decision of Garuda to close the Darwin-Denpasar route following the global economic crisis because it could be counterproductive for Indonesia's efforts to attract 480,000 Australian tourists this year.
