(5/18/2009)
Just days after Garuda Indonesia announced it would be abandoning its nearly three decades of service between Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia and Bali, Indonesian Air Asia (IAA) have stepped up to the plate and declared their intentions to assume that route.
The President Director of IAA, Dharmadi, told Bisnis Indonesia that his company would began a thrice-weekly flight service to Darwin before then end of 2009 using Airbus A320 aircraft. "The potential of the Darwin-Bali route is less than rewarding, but we are convinced a market can be created," said Dharmadi.
The decision to assume the old route served by Garuda is apparently in direct response to an invitation from the Indonesian Department of Transportation who were seeking an Indonesian airline to assume Garuda's old traffic rights.
Dharmadi confirmed that IAA holds an operational certificate from the government of Australia and fulfills all the requirements set forth by the Australian Department of Civil Aviation.
A Growing International Network
In addition to IAA's plans to fly Bali-Darwin, the airline has also announced their plans to fly Jakarta - Manila (Philippines), Jakarta - Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) and Surabaya-Singapore.
Dharmadi also revealed that his airline is seeking to employ 300 new pilots over the coming five years to help operate their fleet of 47 Airbus A320. Currently, the airline employs 150 pilots at the control of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737-300.
Related Article
[The Devolution of Darwin]
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