Indonesia, Saudi Agree on Unlimited Flight Frequency

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, west of Jakarta,

Jakarta, 10 Jumadil Akhir 1438/09 March 2017 (MINA) – Indonesia and Saudi Arabia has agreed on unlimited flight frequency between the two countries, Antara reported, citing an official of the Transportation Ministry here on Wednesday.

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The unlimited frequency would be effective in five airports in Indonesia and four airports in Saudi Arabia, the Ministrys Director General of Air Transportation Agus Santoso said.

“Following the meeting with Saudis King Salman, five airports here and four airports there (in Saudi), which previously had limited frequency, will now serve unlimited (flights),” he reiterated.

Meanwhile, the Director of Air Transport Maryati Karma said five Indonesian airports that would serve unlimited flights from Saudi Arabia include Kualanamu Airport in Medan, Sultan Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Ngurah Rai Airport in Denpasar, and Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta.

The four Saudi airports are located in Madinah, Damam, Riyadh, and Thaif.

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“Flight frequency to the airport in Thaif is currently seven flights per week,” she added.

The agreement would be effective for an indefinite period of time, Maryati noted, adding that it has been effective since Jan 27.

She also pointed out some Indonesian airways that have served the Saudi’s route, namely Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya, Citilink, and Lion Air.

Previously, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia had limited the flight frequency between the two countries to 35 flights per week.

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Market potential of hajj pilgrims

The authority has also set three more airports to serve flights to Saudi Arabia from Palembang, Solo, and Balikpapan.

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“But it was not unlimited; there were only seven flights per week,” she remarked.

Such a reciprocal cooperation is important for both countries. This is because Indonesia has a market potential of Hajj pilgrims and Saudi Arabia is home to Mecca and Madinah, Maryati added.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the cooperation was signed during King Salman’s state visit to Jakarta.

The king has also agreed to increase Hajj quota for Indonesia by 10 thousand in 2017. (T/RS5/RS1)

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Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)