NEWS DESK
THE JAKARTA POST
National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has resumed flight services to China following months of travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The company had grounded all commercial flights to China earlier this year.
“The Chinese government has now implemented a policy that allows one airline to fly to one specific city once a week,” Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra said on Tuesday, as quoted by kompas.com.
“Garuda now handles flights to Chengdu, while Citilink [flies] to Kunming.”
He went on to say the airline could now facilitate Chinese nationals who wished to return to their home country.
While restrictions are looser in Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia has yet to reopen several international routes due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in many countries.
“The Denpasar-Japan flight, for instance, is still halted due to the absence of tourists,” Irfan said.
In February, the Indonesian government grounded all flights to and from mainland China amid concerns over the initial coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei province. The government also barred entry to visitors who had been in China for 14 days, due to health concerns. (rfa)
