Mimi Hudoyo, Jakarta, June 1, 2011

GARUDA Indonesia today launched its Makassar-Singapore daily flights, in line with the opening of the South Sulawesi capital as its third hub, after Jakarta and Bali.

Garuda president and CEO, Emirsyah Satar, said: “Makassar is growing fast as a business city and it is strategically located in the eastern part of Indonesia.”

Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport will serve 13 of Garuda’s domestic and regional destinations – Ambon, Balikpapan, Biak, Denpasar, Jakarta, Jayapura, Palu, Surabaya, Gorontalo, Manado, Ternate, Timika and Singapore.

The airline also revealed that its fourth hub would be developed in Medan, Sumatra, serving western Indonesia.

In the meantime, the airline has raised frequencies on a number of regional services, including Jakarta-Beijing from three to five flights per week, Denpasar-Seoul from three- to five-weekly, Jakarta-Singapore from seven to eight times daily, and Jakarta-Bangkok from daily to twice a day.