In Reply to: Garuda March flights changed !!! posted by addicted on Friday, 2. December 2005 at 07:23 Bali Time:
Garuda Reduces Seating Capacity Of Flights From And To Bali
JAKARTA, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- PT Garuda Indonesia has been forced to lower the seating capacity of its flights by 30 to 40 percent especially on its flights from Australia or Japan to Bali and vice versa in view of declining number of visitors to the island paradise after the second terrorist bombing attacks on last Oct 1.
Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar and Minister of Tourism and Culture Jero Wacik made the statement after the launching of Garuda's Love Bali Programme to revive tourism in Bali.
The Indonesian news agency Antara in its report filed Wednesday, quoted Emirsyah as saying that the number of passengers from Australia and Japan had dropped drastically to less than 50 percent.
Jero Wacik meanwhile said that the government could not prohibit other countries to issue travel warnings to their citizens who wished to visit Bali.
Emirsyah said flights to Australia had been reduced from 27 to 17 times a week, adding that Garuda had also reduced its flights to Japan and combined formerly direct services.
He said he hoped the situation would change ahead of the peak season at the end of the year. "We will add 14,000 seats on the flights from the two countries to Bali," he said.
"Our target this year is not making a loss or reaching a break-even point. In view of that we will immediately meet our creditors for a rescheduling," he said.
The state-owned company's debt service was recorded at US$110 million to US$115 million until 2010, mostly to the European Credit Agency. The company's total debts reach around US$840 million, he said.
Jero Wacik said the travel warnings issued by Australia, the US and Japan had caused a significant decline in the number of foreign visitors to Indonesia.
As has been reported 12,000 Australians had cancelled their plan to come to Bali after the bombings on Oct 1. "It is undeniable that cancellations have really occurred," Wacik said.
Through Garuda's Love Bali Programme Garuda distributes 10,000 free flights from and to Bali.