Indonesian Flag Carrier Garuda Operates Cargo-Only Flight to Hong Kong

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s national flag carrier Garuda on Saturday started to operate their cargo-only flight from Surabaya to Hong Kong in a bid to boost the competitiveness of national leading export commodities, especially from East Java province.

The special Surabaya-Hong Kong cargo flight is served once a week with an Airbus A330-300 that carries 30-40 tons. The flight departs from Juanda International Airport in Surabaya at 6 am local time and arrives in Hong Kong at noon local time.

Garuda Indonesia’s president director Irfan Setiaputra said that special cargo flight is one of the potential business opportunities that will be continued in line with the growing trend of cargo transportation.

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“With the development of the cargo flight network, we hope that the direct export activities of prime commodities from Surabaya and its vicinity can be more competitive to accelerate the national economic recovery, especially in East Java,” Irfan said in a statement on March 6.

Irfan added that the cargo flight could further increase the level of competitiveness of the products from East Java as they will be delivered faster without having to transit in some flight hubs. Besides, the product quality is better maintained at a competitive price.

Sharing a similar sentiment, East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa welcomed the company’s decision to operate the special cargo flight to Hong Kong.

“I really appreciate and fully support the special cargo flight service from Surabaya to Hong Kong starting from March 6,” Khofifah said.

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“This will certainly contribute positively to our exports to Hong Kong and increase the competitiveness of our products at the same time,” said Khofifah.

The governor also hoped that the operating of special cargo flights could be seen as an opportunity for the micro small medium enterprises players to grow even more, including those in East Java province.

Previously, Garuda Indonesia has also opened several domestic and international cargo flights such as a Manado-Japan route and a Makassar-Singapore route to ensure the continual flow of goods.

(Writer: Akhdi Martin Pratama | Editor: Ambaranie Nadia Kemala Movanita)

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/03/07/062710926/garuda-indonesia-buka-rute-penerbangan-khusus-kargo-dari-surabaya-ke-hongkong?page=all#page2.