Northstar

The Indispensable Travel Industry Read Feature Highlight Breaking barriers August 2013 | www.travelweeklyweb.com | Published by Travel & Meetings Group, Contineo Media Pte Ltd Photo: Boeing Vol. 4 Issue 08 | People Exclusive: An interview with Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Page 8 Airlines Garuda's first Boeing 777-300ER, prior to its delivery in Everett, Washington Emirates doubles services to Amsterdam Page 16 Fatigue runway reason for Garuda's delay JAKARTA – Garuda Indonesia has announced the postponement of its flight service to London, which was initially scheduled for November 2, 2013. This is due to the limitation drawn from the 28-year-old Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's runways, which are unable to meet the required pavement classification number (PCN). Soekarno-Hatta's aging woes have long been a lament for many in the aviation industry. Its limited resources, particularly the old runway, is only able to accommodate a PCM of 120 tonnes. According to Emirsyah Satar, president and chief executive officer of Garuda Indonesia, to operate at "full capacity", carrying 314 passengers and a cargo of 30 tonnes, the Boeing 777-300ER requires a PCN of 132 tonnes, which is a far cry from the current PCN capacity the runway is able to withstand. To enable Garuda Indonesia to still make the flight to London, there would have to be a "restricted take-off weight" of 329,365 kg, which would mean a reduction in the number of passengers by 39 people and a loss of the ability to carry cargo. Garuda Indonesia would also be unable to fly directly to London. Consequently, the implementation of this flight with these conditions in this competitive world of air travel would have a serious effect on the operational and business requirements of this route. Due to this unexpected delay, Garuda Indonesia will begin the direct service from Jakarta to London in May 2014. The airline will begin non-stop flights between Jakarta and London five times weekly, departing from Jakarta at 12.55am (local time). Currently, the SHIA, Indonesia's first international airport, is undergoing an expansion to its Terminal 3 and aims to boost the capacity of Terminal 2, which serves the international flights, from nine million passengers, to 19 million, by the time it is completed. As with major expansions, the plan did not come without a glitch. Last year, the airport had two bouts of blackouts, and earlier this year, operations were disrupted due to the floods in Jakarta. The expansion holds great significance for the emerging market. According to president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during his opening speech at its groundbreaking ceremony in August last year, the US$752.4 million expansion is in line with Indonesia's full integration into the ASEAN Economic Community, come 2015. The expansion is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, tripling the airport's total annual capacity to 66 million arrivals.

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