TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Citilink made direct, round-trip flights between the USA and Indonesia to bring in 176 ventilator units, given by the City of New York. The equipment were flown in from Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey.

Citilink's charter jet, an Airbus A330-900 NEO with flight number QG 5991 arrived at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Tuesday noon, August 17, which is the Indonesian Independence Day.

"To coincide with Indonesia's Independence Day, Citilink organized a special flight with a humanitarian mission to transport medical equipment aid from the New York City Government to the Indonesian Government through a SOE Foundation," Citilink president director Juliandra said in a statement in Jakarta, Wednesday.

He said the flight with a humanitarian mission was a form of synergy between Citilink, the Indonesian SOE Ministry, the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Indonesian Health Ministry, and the New York City Government.

The ventilators will be distributed through a network of state-owned hospitals to areas in need.

U.S. Ambassador for Indonesia Sung Yong Kim said that this flight was an important historical event. Citilink's Airbus became the first plane in 20 years to fly a direct, return flight between Indonesia and the USA.

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Antara