Started in mid-November 2017, Garuda Indonesia launched four-times weekly chartered flights between Kupang city in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara and Dili in Timor Leste, the first direct flight connecting the two countries.
Johanes Prihatin, head of the tourism office, Belu Regency, shared that before that, about 250 travellers cross the border of East Timor via the Motaain Checkpoint to head for Kupang or Jakarta daily.
“About 10 per cent continue their trip to Kupang by plane, the rest choose to take the road trip,” said Johanes, stressing that the new route gives travellers a shorter travel time from and to both cities.
The Garuda flights, serviced by the 70-seat ATR 72 aircraft, mainly targets the Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment of travellers, according to Kokoh Aritonang, general manager of Garuda East Nusa Tenggara.
Garuda Indonesia ATR-72 600 | flickr.com
Other than VFR, the growing number of business travellers from Kupang to Dili and vice versa is expected to contribute to demand for the route. “Although these are medium and small scale business people, their businesses are running pretty well in both cities,” explained Kokoh.
East Nusa Tenggara tourism stakeholders have recently been intensifying promotions, such as through participation at the recent Komodo Travel Mart.
Currently travellers from Kupang to Dili take a 45 minutes flight to the Border City of Atambua, then continue the journey in a two-hour road trip to Dili. Other alternatives include the existing flight operated by NAM Air from Kupang to Waingapu, then to Bali before departing to Dili the next day.
There are plans for the flights to be converted to scheduled flights this month.
I began my career in the banking industry in 1997, and stayed approx 6 years in it. This industry boost his knowledge about the economic condition in Indonesia, both macro and micro, and how to
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understand it. My banking career continued in Yogyakarta when I joined in a program funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),as the coordinator for a program aimed to help improve the quality of learning and teaching process in private universities in Yogyakarta. When the earthquake stroke Yogyakarta, I chose to join an international NGO working in the area of ?disaster response and management, which allows me to help rebuild the city, as well as other disaster-stricken area in Indonesia. I went on to become the coordinator for emergency response in the Asia Pacific region. Then I was assigned for 1 year in Cambodia, as a country coordinator mostly to deliver developmental programs (water and sanitation, education, livelihood). In 2009, he continued his career as a protocol and HR officer at the U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya, and two years later I joined the Political and Economic Section until now, where i have to deal with extensive range of people and government officials, as well as private and government institution troughout eastern Indonesia.
I am the founder and Editor-in-Chief in Good News From Indonesia (GNFI), a growing and influential social media movement, and was selected as one of The Most Influential Netizen 2011 by The Marketeers magazine.
I also wrote a book on "Fundamentals of Disaster Management in 2007"?, "Good News From Indonesia : Beragam Prestasi Anak Bangsa di dunia"? which was luanched in August 2013, and "Indonesia Bersyukur"? which is launched in Sept 2013. In 2014, 3 books were released in which i was one of the writer; "Indonesia Pelangi Dunia"?, "Indonesia The Untold Stories"? and "Growing! Meretas Jalan Kejayaan"
I give lectures to students in lectures nationwide, sharing on full range of issues, from economy, to diplomacy
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