TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Low-cost carrier Citilink Indonesia will open a direct flight from Banyuwangi, East Java to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and vice versa on December 19. Banyuwangi Transportation Agency secretary Ali Ruchi said the ticket is already available for sale.
“The flight ticket can be purchased via online on Citilink official website or directly visit the Citilink booth,” said Ali Ruchi in Banyuwangi, Wednesday, December 12.
From Banyuwangi, the flight will depart at 08:20 a.m. local time and will arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 12:10 p.m local times. Meanwhile, the flight from Kuala Lumpur will take off at 13:20 p.m. local time and land in Banyuwangi at 15:10 p.m local time.
“The trip estimation of Kuala Lumpur-Bnayuwangi will last for three hours,” Ali added. Citilink will use Airbus A-230 with a capacity of 180 passengers.
Read: Citilink Introduces Flights to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand
Banyuwangi Regent Abdullah Azwar Anas said the international route would be a new measure to expand the accessibility to Banyuwangi. “We really hope this will boost the local economy.”
Further, the city’s Cultural and Tourism Agency head MY. Bramuda said that a special meeting with tourism agencies from both countries was made to discuss tourist market share following the route opening.
“This route aims to attract Malaysian millennials to visit Banyuwangi tourism sites, such as Kawah Ijen, without having transit in Jakarta,” he said.
The direct flight is also targeted religious tourists from the Indian community Tamils which is amounted to 10 percent of the total population in Malaysia.
Bramuda explained that Malaysian people from Tamil are interested to visit temples: Pura Agung Blambangan in Muncar and Pura Agung Kawitan, in National Park Alas Purwo that are commonly flocked by Hindu community from throughout Indonesia.
ANTARA
