The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 01/07/2010 11:01 PM
The government announced Thursday that national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia would resume flights to Timika, Papua, on Friday.
Air Transportation Director General Herry Bakti S. Gumay told a media conference that the decision followed negotiations involving Garuda, US-based gold miner PT Freeport Indonesia and Timika’s Mozes Kilangin Airport operator, PT AVCO. The Transportation Ministry facilitated the meeting.
“We agreed that starting Friday, January 8, 2010, Garuda will reinstate the Timika route,” Herry said.
Garuda halted flights to Timika after Freeport refused to supply avtur fuel to one of its jets during a stop on Jan. 3. The incident followed Garuda’s refusal to take the Freeport boss and his colleagues from Jayapura to Timika, because they were not in the manifest. Freeport denied the claim, saying it fell short of fuel because of the increased Christmas and New Year holiday demand.
Herry said that in future, fuel suppliers should notify airline companies a few days in advance of shortages of stock, if any.
He added that the government had also asked the Mozes Kilangin airport operator to open the possibility for other fuel suppliers, including state oil and gas company Pertamina, to set up a depot there.
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