While Garuda Indonesia struggles to launch new destinations to Europe, delaying by another six months flights to London and by one year its service to Paris, Air France announces to fly the Indonesia capital from next year via Singapore.
PARIS- As Garuda Indonesia is due to enter soon Skyteam- normally by February 2014- all members of the alliance are now looking their view to Indonesia and especially to Jakarta, the capital of a booming economy. Indonesia is today considered as one of the most dynamic countries in Asia with growth rates exceeding 6% a year with a rapidly expanding middle class. As such, Air France could not miss the opportunity also to serve the Indonesian metropolis and its 14 million inhabitants, the economic and political heart of an archipelago of 240 million inhabitants.
Officially, Air France will then start to fly to Jakarta from March 31, offering a daily frequency out of Paris via Singapore using a Boeing 777-300 aircraft. Flights will be scheduled at night to help passengers acclimatize to the time difference. Consisting of 303 seats, the Boeing 777-300, will offers 8 La Premiere cabin, 67 Business, 28 Premium Economy and 200 Economy.
“Air France’s new Jakarta route fits perfectly in our strategy to focus on the potential of the Southeast Asia region. We are, therefore, delighted to be able to offer our customers flights from Jakarta via Singapore to Paris,” Duncan Rutgers, country manager for Air France KLM Indonesia, said in a statement on Tuesday. From March, the carrier will serve 23 destinations on the Asian continent.
Flights will depart from Jakarta at 8:10 p.m. and arrive at Charles de Gaulle at 7:50 a.m. the following day. From Paris, passengers will depart at 7:55 p.m. and arrive in Jakarta at 5:20 p.m. If demand for the one-stop service goes strong, the carrier would then consider a non stop frequency… If Jakarta runway is ready to receive heavy loads! That was indeed the official reason given by Garuda Indonesia to delay the launch of its new London service!
Air France is certain to gain lots of traffic from and to Europe as they are currently only two European airlines flying to Jakarta: KLM and Turkish Airlines. Lufthansa suspended last October its Munich-Singapore- Jakarta route…
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
