The State News Agency ANTARA reports that the National Flag Carrier Garuda Indonesia is preparing to make Bali an international hub and a base for flights to Eastern Indonesia, as part of a strategy to strengthen its connectivity on international and regional routes.
Dewa Bagus Rendra Maha Putera, speaking on behalf of the National Flag Carrier , said: “We are maximizing Denpasar’s role as an international hub integrated with eastern Indonesia, particularly Papua.”
Garuda has established a flight connecting Denpasar to Jayapura, operating on a Jakarta-Denpasar-Timika-Jayapura route. This route is operated four times a week, with flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from Jakarta, using a Boeing 737-800NG with 12 business-class seats and 150 economy-class seats.
Flight GA-652 will depart Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 9:25 PM local time, arriving at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport at 12:20 AM Bali time, the next morning. The flight will continue, leaving Bali at 1:05 am, landing at Timika’s Mozes Kilangin Airport at 5:45 AM local time, then departing for Sentani Airport in Jayapura, arriving at 7:55 AM.
Flights from Jayapura are operated by GA-653, which operates every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The flight departs Sentani Airport at 8:50 AM local time bound for Timika, then flies to Denpasar, and then on to Jakarta, arriving at 3:30 PM local time.
“The presence of the route is expected to provide a smoother journey for passengers, both international tourists and business people,” Putera said. He hopes it will serve as a main gateway for international tourism, encouraging greater travel to Papua.
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