TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State airliner Garuda Indonesia opens new cargo flight enrouting Makassar-Hong Kong starting Saturday, October 30. The company previously launched air cargo transhipment of Surabaya-Hong Kong route that had started the operation in early 2021.

“This is part of the cargo flight expansion in order to improve the competitiveness of superior export commodities,” said Garuda CEO Irfan Setiaputra in his statement on Saturday, October 30, adding that the cargo route expansion is a sustainable business opportunity for the airline.

He reasoned that air cargo performance keeps increasing even amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Irfan hopes that through the expansion, the direct export activities from Indonesia's eastern regions would increase as Garuda sees an opportunity to support the market expansion of national commodity exports.

Makassar-Hong Kong cargo flight operates once a week. The aircraft departs from Surabaya's Juanda International Airport at 05:00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) and arrives at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar at 07:35 Central Indonesia Time (WITA).

It is scheduled to continue the trip at 09:15 Makassar time and arrive in Hong Kong after a 4-hour flight at around 13:50 local time.

Garuda chose Makassar for the route expansion as the city is the hub of eastern Indonesia's cargo commodity shipping network. The city is connected to the direct flights to regions producing superior export commodities, such as Ambon, Kendari, Sorong, and Manado.

Irfan hopes the flight would contribute to improve the competitiveness of the quality of maritime commodities in South Sulawesi. “It will cut the shipping time, so the quality of the products could be maintained, and the logistic cost would be more competitive. As a result, export commodity prices can compete in the global market,” Garuda Indonesia CEO remarked.

Read: Garuda Eyeing Cargo Markets in Europe, America

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA