In a move that’s expected to increase international arrivals to Indonesia, Indonesia’s low-cost carrier Citilink has announced two new routes, providing greater choice to holidaymakers in two of the nation’s most substantial demographic groups. The new flights form part of Citilink’s business expansion programme, under which several other new international locations are expected for 2020.
The first new flight connects Saudi Arabia and East Java, with a new direct flight linking Jeddah to Surabaya. The second will offer Malaysian travellers a new route into West Java, with a direct service from Kuala Lumpur to Bandung.
Officially launched on Saturday, 8th February 2020, both routes have been opened in response to growing demand in both directions for increased flight options. The Jeddah flights in particular are expected to be popular with Indonesians making the journey to Mecca, and Saudi holidaymakers travelling in the opposite direction.
“This route is expected to increase the number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia via Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, which also connects with many other cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Denpasar [in Bali], Makassar [in South Sulawesi] and Manado [in North Sulawesi], ” said president director Juliandra Nurtjahjo in a statement to the Jakarta Post earlier this month.
According to the new flight schedules, Citilink Indonesia will fly from Jeddah to Surabaya once a week, serviced by wide-body Airbus A330-900 NEO aircraft, each with capacity for 365 passengers.
The Surabaya-Jeddah route became the 11th international route offered by Citilink. Earlier this year, the airline, which is a subsidiary of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, opened new routes connecting Denpasar to Melbourne, Australia, and Bandung, West Java, to Kuala Lumpur.
In 2019, Citilink committed to opening more services in response to growing trends of international travel. It currently flies to six international destinations, including Malaysia, China and Cambodia. Citilink also opened 21 new domestic routes in Indonesia last year. The airline flies around 12.2 passengers every year.
