Timika, Papua (ANTARA) - Subsidiary of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Citilink Indonesia, began operating direct flight service from Denpasar, Bali, to Timika City, Mimika District, Papua Province, Friday (Jan 31), to boost connectivity to the country's easternmost regions.
Citilink Indonesia, one of the country's low-cost carriers, will use an Airbus A320, capable of carrying 180 passengers, Gunawan, the aircraft manager for Timika Station, stated, citing the new route will operate four times a week, on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Gunawan remarked that the aircraft will arrive at the Mozes Kilangin Airport in Timika at 2:25 p.m. local time and return to Denpasar at 3:10 p.m. local time.
Before Citilink Indonesia, other carriers, including Batik Air, Wings Air, and Trigana Air, had launched direct flight services to Timika City for the past three months.
With more carriers operating in the city, Yan Selamat Purba, head of the Mimika Transportation Office, expected the flight costs to become more affordable to people in the district.
"I hope the ticket cost would remain stable and affordable," Purba reaffirmed while citing the existing price of a single trip to Timika City from Denpasar lying in the range of Rp2.2 million to Rp3 million.
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