Lion Air Passenger Plane Crashes in Bali

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, April 13, 2013

The Lion Air airplane that crashed into the ocean 50 meters from the
runway at Ngurah Rai Airport, Denpasar. (Twitter Photo)

  

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A Lion Air airplane carrying 101 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing on the ocean after it overshot the runway at Ngurah Rai Airport on Saturday afternoon.

Sherly Yunita, a public relations officer at Ngurah Rai Airport, told the Jakarta Globe that the passenger plane did not touch the runway and landed directly onto the sea.

“The cause is not known yet,” Sherly said. “It was an emergency landing.”

Dozens of passengers have been sent to hospitals in Denpasar with 10 passengers hospitalized at the Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar and two at the Kasih Ibu Hospital.

Victims with serious injuries have been taken to the Siloam Hospital in Kuta.

A passenger, identified as Dewi, complained that the pilot did not alert the passengers before the emergency landing.

“Suddenly I saw the airplane was so close with the sea and hit the water with a loud sound,” Dewi said. “All passengers were panicking, screaming. Passengers tried to get the life jackets and were rushed to the emergency exits.”

Dewi, who suffered an injury to her head, managed to swim to the beach after getting out of the plane.

The Lion Air Boeing 737-800 ER jet was traveling from Bandung to Denpasar when it was forced to make an emergency landing, Eko Diantoro, the general manager from airport operator Angkasa Pura II, told TVOne on Saturday.

Eko said there were 101 passengers — 96 adults, five children and one baby — and seven crew members on board the flight that left Husein Sastranegara International Airport, Bandung at 12:56 p.m. The flight was due to land at 3:40 p.m. local time. The flight crashed into the water at 3:35 p.m, 50 meters from the runway.

Eko said that weather conditions in Denpasar were good.

“We don’t know the cause of the accident,” Eko said. “We don’t have the detail of the passengers condition, but all are alive.”

In October 2011, a Lion Air flight overshot the runway at the Sepinggan airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan. There were no casualties as the passenger plane managed to stop on a soft surface in place to trap an aircraft from running on from the landing area, or even into the sea, in the case of an emergency.

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Garuda Plans to Cover Gap After JAL Cuts Bali Routes

Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana, Ardian Wibisono & Yessar Rossendar, May 10, 2010

Amid a massive restructuring, Japan Airlines has decided to trim unprofitable routes, including to Bali. The planned cancellation will leave Garuda the only carrier flying from Japan to the resort island of Bali. (EPA Photo)

National flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia announced on Monday that it was ready to fill the void after ailing Japan Airlines canceled its routes to Bali this year.

Kiyoshi Tanaka, a JAL representative in Bali, said on Monday that the bankrupt airline’s massive restructuring had prompted it to cut less-profitable routes, including to Bali, which have already showed a decrease in passenger numbers. He said JAL’s daily Tokyo-Denpasar and Osaka-Denpasar would be eliminated by Oct. 1, leaving Garuda the only carrier flying between Japan and the resort island.

Pujobroto, Garuda’s corporate secretary, said on Monday after JAL’s announcement that the Indonesian carrier would raise its Osaka-Denpasar flights from four times a week to five starting in November. Garuda also provides once-daily Denpasar-Tokyo service and three Denpasar-Nagoya flights per week.

“The flights from Denpasar to Japan will use Airbus 330-300 aircraft,” Pujobroto said.

Pujobroto also added that Garuda was planning daily Jakarta-Tokyo service in September.

JAL, Asia’s biggest carrier, declared bankruptcy in January under $6 billion of debt. Poor management and out-of-control costs, as well as unprofitable routes, were all factors leading to one of Japan’s biggest corporate busts.

Its troubles were also compounded by the global financial downturn, which decimated travel demand for its extensive international flight network.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of visitors from Japan to Bali dropped 22 percent to 65,059 in the first quarter from the year-earlier period.

JAL currently has two daily routes to Bali, Tokyo-Denpasar and JAL 715 Osaka-Denpasar.

Heru Legowo, general manager of PT Angkasa Pura I Ngurah Rai, regretted JAL’s decision to stop the service, which it has flown for 10 years. He said the cancellation made little sense because the 400 passangers arrived on each flight as well as cargo, not to mention the fees JAL paid to the airport management firm.

“With the route closing, we will lose income of Rp 150 million [$16,500] a day,” Heru said.

Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya, chairman of Bali’s Tourism Board, said the closure would also cause tourist numbers to drop. Japan accounts for the third-largest number of visitors after Australia and China.

Ronn Nomura, sales and marketing officer of Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bali, said the impact had already begun to be felt.

“With the closure, we expect to lose 50 percent of our guests,” he said.

Airport operator reaffirms unpopular policy

Desy Nurhayati, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar | Mon, 11/16/2009 10:27 AM

Island hospitality: Tourism and Culture Minister Jero Wacik (right), and Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar (second right) talk to tourists at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Denpasar, Bali, on Sunday. The government promised to improve services for foreign tourists at the airport. JP/Ni Komang Erviani

The Ngurah Rai International Airport management has reiterated a flight policy that passengers transferring from international to domestic flights should conduct a series of procedures before boarding the second flight.

Last week, airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I was rebuked by an upset passenger, who had boarded at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan, heading to Jakarta, with a stopover at Ngurah Rai Airport for a transfer to a domestic flight.

The passenger complained about having to pay additional airport tax and conduct check-in procedures before moving to his Denpasar-Jakarta flight.

The passenger sent a furious message to the newly installed Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi, complaining about what he described as “improper services” and even asked the minister to dismiss Angkasa Pura’s director.

PT Angkasa Pura I general manager Heru Legowo said Friday that his company had already received similar complaints.

“We need to clarify this to avoid further misinterpretations.”

The passenger apparently thought he had used a transit flight and could directly move to the next flight without paying additional airport tax and undergoing custom and immigration clearance procedures.

In fact, Heru underlined, the passenger had used a transfer flight, which has different procedures to that of transit flights.

“In transfer flights, passenger should conduct another security check, customs clearance, and pay another airport tax. Passengers also use different aircrafts. While in transit flight, passengers use the same aircraft and they don’t need to conduct such procedures.”

In this particular case, he went on, the passenger used an international flight from Tokyo to Denpasar, and continued with domestic flight serving Denpasar-Jakarta route. Both flights belong to the Garuda Indonesia carrier.

“Transferring between international to domestic flights requires passengers to undergo such procedures, especially as we withdrew the mixed flight policy in May,” said I Wayan Sudiarta, Garuda Indonesia’s station manager for Bali.

He added that there was not yet a direct flight from Tokyo to Jakarta.

“The direct flight is only from Tokyo to Denpasar.”

To improve services, Angkasa Pura will expand the airport’s domestic and international terminals, as well as supporting facilities.

The Rp 1.6-trillion expansion project is scheduled to commence in January next year after being delayed for months, and is expected to finish within 30 months.

The 15,000-square meter domestic terminal will be expanded into 120,000-square meter international terminal, said Heru Legowo.

“The domestic terminal has been overcrowded. It only has a capacity of 1.5 million passengers per year, but now we have had around 4.5 million passengers per year.”

He said the expansion would allow the airport to accomodate around 20 million passengers per year, from around the current nine million passengers per year.

The airport operator also asked Bali administration to improve access around the airport to overcome traffic congestion.

Indonesian Ministers Find Bali’s Airport in Sad Shape

The Jakarta Globe, Made Arya

Denpasar. Long visa lines, broken computers, filthy bathrooms and leaky roofs. Such was the situation at Bali’s international airport on Sunday during a snap inspection by two cabinet ministers.

The woeful state of Ngurah Rai International Airport is threatening to become a national embarrassment and a liability for the nation’s top tourism destination. And some tourists gave an earful to Tourism Minister Jero Wacik and Patrialis Akbar, the minister of law and human rights, during their surprise visit.

“I heard some [immigration] officers say to the minister that it only takes 45 seconds to issue a visa on arrival. But I queued for 15 minutes just now,” said one Australian tourist named Lizza.

It was easy to see why. Six of the 25 visa on arrival counters at the international arrivals hall were closed because their computers were broken, officials said.

Patrialis and Wacik witnessed first-hand the long queues. “We want all the counters to be well-functioning and manned by officers. Tourists should be in their [taxi] cabs within 15 minutes if we have good service,” they said.

One Indonesian tourist told the ministers the domestic terminal had its own problems, including leaky roofs as the air-conditioners dripped water, dirty entrance and walls in the toilets, and many broken luggage trolleys.

Just two years ago, Ngurah Rai was named the country’s best airport by the Ministry of Transportation. But last week, the airport’s operator said it could no longer handle the huge volume of travelers, 45 percent of who are domestic travelers. It processes more than nine million passengers a year.

Patrialis said the surprise inspection was part of his ministry’s 100-day program to improve airport immigration services. There were many complaints about Ngurah Rai, he said. “Do not let the tourists down. We must give our best service,” Patrialis said.

Wacik also suggested limiting the shops at Ngurah Rai, because it is not a transit airport. “Ngurah Rai is not like Changi in Singapore. If the tourists want to shop, let them shop in Sukawati [handicraft] market instead,” he said.

Jetstar to double Perth-Singapore capacity

The Business Times, Ven Sreenivasan, Sat, Mar 21, 2009

(SINGAPORE) Australia's Jetstar has announced new connections to Singapore via its Indonesian services to Denpasar and Jakarta.

From July 14, Jetstar will operate its existing four-times weekly Perth-Denpasar (Bali) and three-times weekly Perth-Jakarta A320 services onwards to Singapore and return.

All services will commence and terminate in Perth, with the same flight number in each direction.

Jetstar - a Qantas-owned sister carrier of Singapore-based Jetstar Asia - said that the timing of the new Singapore connections will provide north-bound connectivity for passengers flying with Qantas to and from Singapore on to Frankfurt and London. They will also provide a same-day north-bound connection to Mumbai with Qantas from Singapore.

The new connections are in addition to Jetstar's daily, direct Perth-Singapore A320 flight introduced in December last year.

Jetstar chief executive Bruce Buchanan said that the extra services from Perth to Singapore support Jetstar's plan to develop the West Australian capital as a hub in its evolving pan-Asian strategy.

The services effectively double Jetstar's existing capacity into Singapore from Perth, and more importantly, provide Australian and international travellers with a seamless northbound connection out of Singapore.

'Our future introduction of inter-line ticketing, initially through Qantas, as well as planned future inter-line and ticket settlement agreements with leading Asian and European international carriers, will also provide future stimulus to these flights and likely, down-the-line benefits to the Western Australian tourism industry,' Mr Buchanan said.

Last week, Jetstar announced the establishment of a pilot base in Perth to support the growth of its international services and growing footprint in and near Asia.

Jetstar's Perth-Denpasar-Singapore and Perth-Jakarta-Singapore services are now available through Jetstar.com.

Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines start sharing journeys

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 06/21/2008 12:22 PM

Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have signed an agreement under which the carriers will benefit from joint marketing and promotion, code sharing and special rate agreements.

The memorandum of understanding was signed Friday in Jakarta by Garuda Indonesia president and chief executive officer Emirsyah Satar and SIA chief executive officer Chew Choon Seng.

"The industry has become more competitive and the increasing fuel price has put extra pressure on us, so we have to cooperate to increase efficiency and service (quality)," Emirsyah said in the press conference.

The airlines will begin the code sharing with an additional daily flight between Denpasar and Singapore starting August 2.

Initially, SIA will assume the role of operator by providing the flight, while Garuda will act as marketer and sell the seats. In the future, the companies will share the services.

"(The new flight) will increase our capacity, so our passengers from Saigon or Beijing can go directly to Bali from Singapore. The new schedule is also an improvement," Garuda Indonesia commercial director Agus Priyanto said.

Currently, Garuda operates 11 flights per week for the Denpasar-Singapore route, while SIA operates eight per week.

Garuda will also benefit from a special arrangement on ticket rates referred to as the special prorate agreement (SPA) for flights between Indonesia and Singapore that continue to Europe, China, India, Japan, the U.S. or Southeast Asia.

SIA is similarly entitled to the SPA for flights between Singapore and Indonesia that continue to Australia or north Asia.

SIA's Chew said he was especially pleased to be able to tap into Indonesia's tourist destination routes.

The two company chiefs said air traffic between the countries remained high.

Chew said air traffic from Asia, the EU, Australia and New Zealand remained busy, but that trans-Atlantic flights to the U.S. had seen a huge reduction in tourist travelers.

"Instead of traveling across the Atlantic, people travel regionally. We have seen more travelers from Japan and Australia," Agus of Garuda said.

Garuda recorded a 7 percent increase in passengers in this year's first quarter compared to in the same period last year.

Agus said Garuda was currently experiencing a load factor of 85 percent of capacity, and that the airline was preparing an additional 70,000 seats for the holiday season, 40 percent of which will be designated for regional travelers.

Having received two new airplanes in the last two months, Garuda plans to add one extra trip to its existing five flights per week to Sydney and one to its three flights per week to Melbourne. The agreements and pricings will be reviewed seasonally in March and October.(mri)

Govt provides free emission tests ahead of UN conference

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

As part of a campaign to improve Bali's air quality and in connection with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held early next month, the Bali administration and the State Ministry for Environment will provide free emissions tests for vehicles on the island from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2.

"We hope in the future emissions tests will be made obligatory for motorists wishing to apply for or to extend their vehicle registrations," the ministry's Bali and Nusa Tenggara regional office head, Sudirman, said while launching the program in Kedonganan, Badung regency, on Monday.

The surging number of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles in Bali have deteriorated air quality on the resort island.

The administration, while acknowledging the serious problem, has not yet issued a regulation to ease the rise in vehicle ownership in the province, especially in the crowded Badung and Denpasar regencies.

Lacking a reliable public transportation system, Balinese have been forced to use private motorcycles and cars to go to work and school.

The tourism-based economy has also pushed up motorcycle sales on the island as foreign tourists prefer low-cost motorcycle rentals over hotel buses to explore Bali.

The Indonesian Motorcycles Association (AISI) has reported that Bali and Jakarta are two provinces with the most dense motorcycle population, with 2.8 to 3 people per motorcycle.

In Bali, one household could own three to five motorcycles. The number of vehicles on the island was less than 600,000 in 2002 but that figure has today soared to more than 1,400,000.

"We are all worried about the degradation of Bali's air quality," Bali governor Dewa Beratha said in his written statement, which was read by provincial secretary Nyoman Yasa.

"However, we can do something to stop it by conducting emissions tests on vehicles," the governor said.

Yasa said a lack of regulations, which could help slow down the pace of vehicle-ownership growth, was the main challenge for the province to improve its air quality and help prevent global warming.

"We are happy that Balinese people are enjoying economic growth, but we are also aware of its adverse impacts," he said.

He said in the future the administration would issue a regulation to limit the number of vehicles in Bali.

"I can't give you a specific date. But in time it will become necessary to issue such a regulation," he said.

He hinted Bali could possibly implement a progressive taxation scheme in which a person who owned more than one vehicle would have to pay higher taxes.

"This kind of regulation is applied overseas," he said.

The Bali administration has drafted a master plan of an integrated mass transportation service linking Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan regencies.

It is still unclear when the service, which is being referred to as the acronym Sarbagita, would be launched.

Bali is preparing for the UNFCCC, during which delegates of 191 nations would meet to draft the blueprint of a mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

All motor vehicles provided by the organizer of the conference in the Nusa Dua resort complex will run on biofuel, which is considered to be more environmentally friendly than regular fuel.

Agus Purnomo, an official from the environment ministry who heads the conference's organizing committee, has assured that tourists staying in hotels in Nusa Dua would not be disturbed by the security arrangements during the conference.

Bali airport gears up for global conference

Wasti Atmodjo, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

The Ngurah Rai international airport is undergoing a refurbishment ahead of the arrival of thousands of delegates to the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) in Nusa Dua, Denpasar.

Ngurah Rai Airport Authority director Nyoman Suwetja Putra said that the refurbishment included the installation of four new scanning machines, bringing the total number to 21.

To speed up the immigration process, 16 more computers would be installed at the immigration counters in the airport's international arrivals terminal. Currently, immigration officers have only ten computers at their disposal.

The immigration service will also establish two special counters dedicated solely to the UNFCC delegates, who will start arriving later this week.

"We also will set up a command and information post, which will be operating three days prior to three days after the conference," he added.

The authority says it is paying serious attention to security and safety issues at the airport. Up to 106 CCTV cameras have been installed as part of a plan to ultimately equip the airport with 200 cameras.

The authority had also placed at least 1,245 staff members, including those in charge of the airline and ground-handling sections, on stand-by status, ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

"The above-mentioned figure does not include police and military personnel. The security authorities have informed us that they will position sharpshooters and armored vehicles at the airport," Suwetja said.

"It will be arranged in such a way as to enable all activities continue as usual without any disruption," he said.

He further explained that in order to prevent the airport from being overwhelmed with passengers, the authority would close the airport to charter flights, except those transporting the delegates, for the duration of the conference, which runs from Dec. 3 through Dec. 14.

The authority had set aside ten out of the available 38 aircraft parking spaces for aircraft used by foreign dignitaries and heads of state.

"The power supply to the airport is secure. PLN have are providing us with more than 10,000 KVA. We also have our own generators in case of a blackout. The combined capacity of the generators is 6,000 KVA, which is actually more than we need," he said.

Canadian encourages Bali bicycle trend

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

One fact of life that a 10-day cycling trip from Jakarta to Bali taught industrial designer Jeffrey Werner is that there is a clear hierarchy of road users in Indonesia.

"Bus drivers are at the top, while cyclists are at the bottom of the chain," the 28-year-old Canadian said.

As he cycled over the hilly terrain of the southern coast of Java between late July and early August, Werner was forced off the road by buses and trucks more than half a dozen times.

Two weeks after arriving in Ubud, a hilly tourist spot north of the capital city, Denpasar, the former competitive cyclist noticed the rusty old bikes sitting in his employer's garage and hit on the idea of promoting the bicycle as a "green" mode of transportation in Bali.

His employer was the internationally renowned Bali-based jewelry designer John Hardy, who is also the founder of the Kul-kul campus of the School for Life in Ubud, Bali. The school takes a holistic approach to education.

Werner, who is involved in the ongoing construction of the school, suggested Hardy restore the old bikes and set up a bike trail within the seven-hectare school compound that extended to neighboring villages, which would catapult cyclists to the top of the traffic hierarchy.

Hardy was enthusiastic about the idea. Today, two-thirds of the four-kilometer dirt-and-gravel bike trail within the school compound has been completed, while talks with local community organizations are underway. Two of the old bikes are also now roadworthy.

"Our current goal is for everybody working on the school site to use bicycles, and later for the students to use bikes as well," Werner said.

Hardy said the idea was perfect for the school, which promotes ecological and social sustainability. The school is largely being built from bamboo, which is better for the environment than other timber due to its four-year growth period. Classes are to start in the 2008/2009 academic year, commencing in September.

"If we're driving around the campus in cars, it would set a poor example for the community," Hardy said.

He said hopefully the move would inspire more people in Bali to use bicycles.

Site manager Indra said the reaction from local community organizations had so far been very positive.

The Bali chapter of the Bike to Work cycling organization has 150 members, mostly in Denpasar and Badung regency. Bike to Work has 7,000 members nationwide, 4,000 of which are in Jakarta.

Hardy said bike riding was a growing trend among young people: "Young men and some young women are taking to the streets on funny modified bikes, and this has happened only in the last six months," he said.

"Bali is a good place for people to ride to work. Nothing is very far away and the views are extraordinary," Werner said.

The number of private motor vehicles in Bali has continued to increase, contributing to pollution and traffic jams on the resort island. According to Bali Transportation Agency data, there are 1.4 million vehicles in Bali, including 825,000 motorcycles.

People's increasing purchasing power and the lack of cheap and reliable public transportation are responsible for the growing number of private vehicles on Bali's roads.

However, the current trend of rising oil prices might prompt another fuel price increase.

"With the rising price of premium, people might need to rethink their transportation choices," Hardy said.

In Jakarta, the growing number of hard-core cyclists, bustling through the bus-packed streets of Jakarta, has been noticed by government officials, with Governor Fauzi Bowo promising a special lane for bikers.

"It's not the public's fault they rely on motor vehicles, the fault lies with the design of our traffic system. As a cyclist, I see the streets here are only designed for motor vehicles," Werner said.

"That work lies with the designers," he said.

Qatar Airways ups flights to Bali

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Qatar Airways plans to fly daily from Doha to Denpasar next year to meet surging demand both from the Middle East and European travellers, a senior airline executive says.

Qatar Airways Far East & Australasia manager Marwan Koleilat said Monday that the airline was also exploring the possibility of establishing direct flights from the Qatari city to the capital of Bali province.

"We are also considering non-stop flights from Doha to Denpasar ," Koleilat told The Jakarta Post after opening Qatar Airways' Bali office.

Qatar Airways, which launched the Doha-Denpasar route in March this year, serves Bali four times a week via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The service was opened following the success of the airline's Doha-Jakarta route, which was introduced in 2001. At present, the airline serves the route seven times a week via Singapore.

Bali Tourism Agency director Gede Nurjaya has stated on various occasions that the countries of the Middle East were emerging as flourishing markets for Balinese tourism.

He said that the opening of the Doha-Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar route had contributed to an increase in the number of tourists both from Europe and the Middle East.

According to BTA data, a total of 910,567 foreign tourists visited the island between January and July of this year, which represented a 35 percent increase over the corresponding period of last year.

Koleilat said that the plan to fly daily from Doha to Denpasar was due to the high level of demand from passengers. "The Doha-Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar route has a load factor of 90 percent," he said.

The route is served by Airbus A330-200 aircraft, based on a configuration of 22 business class and 259 economy seats, as well as an A330-300 aircraft with 30 business class and 275 economy seats.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 58 Airbus aircraft to 79 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Far East, the Indian subcontinent and North America.

The highlight of Qatar Airways' 2007 expansion has been the launch of flights to New York (Newark) and Washington DC -- the airline's first move into the North American market.

From September 23, Qatar Airways has been flying twice weekly between Doha and the central Indian city of Nagpur. Starting November 27, the carrier will launch four flights a week to the Swedish capital Stockholm.

Daily scheduled services to the western Indian city of Ahmedabad are due to begin on December 12.

Qatar Airways has been one of the fastest growing carriers in the world, with unprecedented expansion averaging almost 40 percent year-on-year for the past decade.

The airline currently operates 58 aircraft, and by 2015 the fleet size is expected to double to more than 110 aircraft.

President sees off cyclists to campaign climate change

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the National Monument square here Sunday morning saw off cyclists who will run from Jakarta to Bali as part of a campaign on the climate change.

On the occasion, the head of state gave the Red and White flags to the cyclists who will be on a 1447-kilometer long trip from the capital city to the resort island.

"I encourage our brothers to promote cycling as it has a lot of advantages," the head of state said, adding that the event was held also as an effort to save the earth.

Meanwhile, State Minister for the Environment Rahmat Witoelar said Bicycle for Earth Goes to Bali would take place from November 11 to December 1, 2007, as part of the UN Conference on Climate Change to be held from December 3 to 14, 2007 in Bali.

The cycling event is being participated in by 50 cyclists consisting of 15 participants of the main team who will be running the Jakarta-Bali route and 35 members of the cycling community from cities where they will pass through.

The route will pass through the cities of Jakarta, Karawang, Pamanukan, Cirebon, Tegal-Pekalongan, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Solo, Madiun, kertosono, Surabaya, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Banyuwangi, Tabanan, Denpasar, Nusadua.

"The cyclists will take the distance of 1447 kilometers passing through 44 cities with stopovers in 16 cities," the minister said.

The 15 cyclists in the main team have passed a selection test as they were able to take a nonstop trip from Jakarta to Bandung (West Java).

"The event is intended to campaign and popularize the use of bicycles in support of the people`s daily activities," he said.

Rahmat said along the route, the campaign team were scheduled to make socialization on impacts of the climate change and alternative solutions to the issue through mass media as well as discussions with regional leaders and people among other things.

On the occasion, the president in tandem with First Lady Ani Yudhoyono accompanied the cyclists till the Hotel Indonesia circle, Jakarta.

Govt to display eco-friendly transportation at Bali meet

Adianto P Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Indonesian government will exhibit its eco-friendly public transportation to the international community during the upcoming climate change conference in Bali.

However, since most of the country's public transportation vehicles are still powered by fossil fuels, the government will swap the engines of the vehicles to be put on display in Bali with ones that run on compressed natural gas (CNG) first.

"We will send the three-wheeled pedicab bajaj, the Metro Mini public mini-buses and CNG taxis to Bali from Jakarta on Dec. 2," Mangisara Lubis, in charge of site events for the Bali meeting, told reporters Friday.

"The display will become part of the site events at the Bali conference."

He said about a hundred businesses related to renewable energy and green products would also exhibit products.

Mangisara, also an adviser to the environment minister, said the vehicles would have to travel with their own supply of CNG for refueling since filling stations along the route to Bali wouldn't have any.

"We hope this will push world leaders, including Indonesia's, to promote lower emission fuels such as CNG for the sake of climate change," he said.

Indonesia will host the 13th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from Dec. 3 to 14 in Bali.

Over 10,000 delegates will attend the conference to discuss ways to combat climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an independent group of experts tasked with assessing scientific aspects of climate change, reported that the use of fossil fuels including in transportation and industry was the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

High concentrations of greenhouse gasses generate climate change.

Mangisara said the government would conduct vehicle emissions testing along the route of a parade to feature public transportation vehicles in Bali.

"We will doing tests on ... private and other vehicles at 13 gas stations along the route as an effort to boost public awareness of climate change," he said.

To improve air quality, the government ordered all public transportation to switch to CNG, effective 2005, as part of its Blue Sky program.

Although the pilot program is in Jakarta, CNG-fueled public vehicles in the city are limited to busway coaches and 250 bajaj pedicabs.

The organizer of the Bali conference earlier said all motor vehicles entering Bali's Nusa Dua area during the conference had to be powered by biofuel.

Mangisara said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would dispatch a group of cyclists from Jakarta to Bali on Tuesday as a welcome brigade for the conference.

The 15 cyclists will pedal the 1,433-kilometer route to Bali in 20 days.

Bali intends to limit number of cars

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - The Bali provincial administration intended to limit the number of cars on the island by imposing higher taxes in order the keep the island`s threshold in balance.

"By controlling the number of cars, we also hope to maintain the road infrastructures and decrease the accident rate," Bali Governor Dewa Beratha said here on Thursday.

The governor made the statement in a plenary session of the Bali Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) discussing Bali`s draft budget 2008.

Governor Dewa Beratha also hoped that such a policy would help reduce traffic congestions on the world`s most famous tourist resort.

The Bali administration has set a target of receiving Rp275.457 billion from car ownership taxes for the 2007 budget, or an increase of 15 percent from the previous year.

Bali braces for classic bike invasion

Trisha Sertori, Contributor, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

More than 1,000 classic motorbikes from across the nation Saturday will roar into Denpasar to celebrate the 18th anniversary of the Association for Old Motor Bikes (HMT).

The bikers are currently en route for the two-day celebration, riding from Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java and Lombok astride motorbikes dating back almost 100 years.

"The oldest bike in the association is a 1916 JAP and it still runs like new. The newest are from 1961," an HMT member and prime mover behind the national event, Komang Wisnaya, said.

Visitors to the mega motorbike event, hosted by HTM's Bali chapter in East Parking, will see classics from Norton, Triumph, Royal Enfield, B.S.A, AJS and the German Zundab, along with old Harley-Davidson "dream bikes" -- all in mint condition.

Denpasar will come alive to the grunts and growls of the big bikes as they tour the city, passing Saturday morning shoppers and re-living the "Rebel Without a Cause" dream.

This image is actually way off the mark, Wisnaya said. Biker associations around the world are known for their regular "charity runs" and the Bali HTM Chapter is no exception.

Last year the association traveled the length and breadth of Bali, bearing gifts of money, food and clothing to numerous orphanages across the island.

Wisnaya said HTM was formed in 1989 when a few classic bike enthusiasts joined to discuss ways to find new areas. At that time there were old bike owners across the country but they did not have an association to link them together.

"It was felt by becoming a community we could pool our resources and information. If someone needs a rare spare part we can look through the association or use our overseas contacts," Wisnaya said.

Better access to spare parts keeps these magnificent bikes on the road, Wisnaya said. Many are found in pieces and must be rebuilt from the ground up.

"It takes around six months to rebuild a bike. After that they never have mechanical problems. They run like new."

The bikes are almost revered like religious icons, being ridden only a few times a year on association bike tours.

"Before we tour the bikes are first washed and polished, and when we return they are cleaned and covered up until next time," he said.

When he first became interested in bikes at 17, Wisnaya's father was not impressed at his choice of hobby.

"My Dad used to have a problem with old bikes because he thought if I got into motorbikes, I'd get into drugs and alcohol. He now understands it's a great hobby. When I go for a ride with the HTM community, all my problems disappear," Wisnaya said.

The community spirit will emerge in the weekend program, with dangdut, games, bike contests, Negara Jegog bamboo ensemble, biker clothing and accessories and a door prize "that will knock your socks off".

"Bali HTM has a classic DKW 500 cc motorbike for one very lucky winner. Tickets for the competition cost Rp 25,000 (US$2.50) each but entry to the event is free," Wisnaya said.

The Bali HTM chapter has raised funds for the event independently with assistance from Penzoil.

Travellers leave island en masse after break

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Cesilia, 25, flew into Bali on a one-way ticket for a relaxing vacation over the long Idul Fitri holiday. She assumed it wouldn't be too difficult to get a ticket back to Jakarta so she could be back at work Monday. She was wrong.

After some serious scrambling and numerous phone calls, Cesilia was finally able to book a seat on a Lion Air flight on Saturday for Rp 1,149,000, or almost three times as much as she paid to fly to Bali with the same airline.

Still, she was glad for the ticket. Cesilia, who works as a journalist for a daily newspaper, had already been told by several airlines that there were no seats available on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, the last three days of the Idul Fitri holiday.

"I have had my holiday, which was quite long, so I have no excuse whatsoever to prolong it. I have no choice," she said.

With the end of the national holiday, probably the longest "joint-leave" in the country's history, people who left Bali to celebrate Idul Fitri in Java have begun to return.

And all the holidaymakers who packed Kuta Beach and filled the island's hotels are now crowding Ngurah Rai airport to fly home.

An official at the airport's Idul Fitri post, I Ketut Gusti Arsana, said the number of passengers leaving Bali on Friday -- the fifth day after Idul Fitri -- was 9,625 on 73 flights.

The number of arriving passengers was 6,341 on 67 flights.

"Last year, the number of departing flights on the fifth day after Idul Fitri was only 59 with 5,903 passengers," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

He said he was pleased by the situation.

"This is a clear sign that Bali is now considered safe, while more domestic tourists now have the money to spend on a holiday in Bali," he said.

On Friday, he said, the airport served 5,438 passengers on international flights arriving on the island.

Arsana predicted Saturday would be the peak day for holidaymakers flying out of Bali.

An official at the Ubung bus station, Agus Juliantara, said Thursday was the peak day for people returning to Bali after celebrating Idul Fitri in their hometowns, mostly on Java.

"On Thursday, the number of buses entering Bali was 100 with 3,752 passengers. The figures declined to 90 buses and 3,099 passengers on Friday," he said.

Gede Putrawan, head of Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana regency, said he expected the number of people returning to and leaving Bali to peach its peak Saturday.

"Domestic tourists will check out of their hotels on Saturday afternoon and they will crowd the port on Saturday evening," he said.

"Motorcycles are already lining up at Ketapang Port, waiting for their turn to board the ferry to Bali," he said

Ketapang Port is in East Java.

Authorities have said the number of people, particularly jobseekers from Java and Lombok, entering Bali after Idul Fitri is expected to go up this year from past years.

In 2006, the busiest post-Idul Fitri day for Ubung bus station saw 99 buses carrying 3,605 passengers enter the island.

Those figures have already been surpassed this year.

Authorities have begun to take measure to prevent jobseekers from entering the province.

Security officials at Gilimanuk seaport, which links Bali to Ketapang Port in Banyuwangi, East Java, have turned away 600 people who were unable to show valid identity cards.

A sociologist from Udayana University in Denpasar, Gde Made Suarjana, said he supported administration efforts to tighten controls on arriving jobseekers, but warned the policy could be interpreted as discriminatory.

"The policy has to be seen as an effort to maintain social order as the issue of rising population has long been a problem for any city. It is not aimed at preventing the movement of people," he said.

However, he said if people saw the issue as one of ethnicity, it could aggravate social problems.

U.S. lifts Bali airport security alert

Thu Oct 11, 2007 6:55am EDT

JAKARTA, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The United States lifted a security warning against the airport on Indonesia's Bali island on Thursday two years after it was issued following a string of bombings on the resort island.

The decision came ahead of U.N. climate talks in December when delegates from 189 countries will gather in Bali to discuss a pact to slow down global warming.

In 2005, U.S. homeland security declared the airport in Denpasar unsafe and discouraged U.S. planes from flying directly to the island, following the attacks in 2002 and 2005 that killed over 200 people.

The decision to lift the warning was based on an assessment by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration that found security measures at the airport complied with International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, a U.S. official said.

"This is very good news for Indonesia as it prepares to host the United Nations COP-13 Climate Change Conference in Bali this December," U.S. Charge d'Affaires John Heffern said in a statement.

Indonesia's aviation chief, Budhi Mulyawan Suyitno, said he hoped the decision would bring more tourists to Bali.

Tourism in Bali suffered a massive blow after the bomb attacks, but has started recovering in recent months.

Bali rebounds minus Aussies

Brisbanetimes

Hoteliers in Bali have blamed Qantas for sluggish bookings out of Australia, as travelers complain about a lack of flights to the increasingly upmarket resort island.

Some passengers have reported waiting months to get suitable flights, with Qantas and Garuda Indonesia slow to reinstate Australian services that were cut following the October 2005 bombings.

That terrorist attack, the second in three years, killed 20 people including four Australians and sparked mass booking cancellations.

Bali's tourism numbers have now bounced back and the island is shedding its reputation as a budget backpackers haunt.

Foreign arrivals rose 38 per cent to 472,082 during the first four months of this year 2007, marking the strongest start to any year on record.

However, Australian visitors dropped 36 per cent over the same period, in stark contrast to firm numbers from Japan, Europe and emerging markets like Russia.

Michael Burchett, chairman of the Bali Hotels Association and general manager of the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa, said the lack of airline capacity was the biggest hurdle to getting Australians back to Bali.

"The demand is there from Australia, but there's no interest or willingness from Qantas to resume flights," said Burchett, originally from Perth.

"You can't get a flight out of Perth for months, and if you're in Brisbane you have to go to Sydney or Melbourne.

"It's just ridiculous. Garuda is doing what it can, but it doesn't have the financial strength, so the Australian recovery has been hamstrung by the lack of support from Qantas.

"Well keep waving the white flag and maybe someone will see it soon."

Georgia Fell-Smith, an Australian spa consultant from Perth who lives in Bali, said the current situation posed problems.

"I always have trouble booking with Qantas," she said.

"The problem is I much prefer to fly with Qantas because of its strong safety record and the opportunity to earn frequent flyer points, but they make it so difficult because they only fly twice a week."

Fell-Smith was booked to fly back to Perth to search for a wedding dress on May 29, but canceled because she could not return to Bali on her desired dates with either Qantas or Garuda.

She will now make the trip in July, using a Qantas flight booked four months ago.

Qantas flies twice a week to Bali from Perth and Darwin, while its budget arm Jetstar flies twice a week from Melbourne and Sydney. Garuda flies every day from Perth, four times a week from Melbourne and Sydney, and twice a week from Darwin.

A Qantas spokesperson said an additional flight would be added to the Perth-Denpasar route between August 5 and October 21 this year, but there were no plans at this stage to expand services from any other cities.

"Qantas will continue to monitor the route and make changes as demand increases," the spokesperson said.

Collapsed Bali airline Air Paradise is reportedly looking at a comeback, while Singapore-based low-budget carrier Tiger Airways has also hinted at possible flights between Bali and Australia.

However, hoteliers said Australia needed a full-service airline to cater for higher-end tourists and business travellers who were finding a new, fashionable edge to the island.

Not far from Kuta's cheap bungalows and rowdy pubs, some hotels - like the exclusive Amandari and recently opened Bulgari Resort - charge thousands of dollars a night per room, and ferry passengers to the airport by helicopter, while restaurants in chic Seminyak do a brisk trade in French champagne and freshly shucked Sydney oysters.

"Rather than treating Bali as a cheap beach destination, the expansion of the luxury hotel and villa market shows it is anything but," said Adrian Forsyth, general manager of Kuta's mid-range Bali Garden Hotel.

"Bali is now a luxury destination and while tourism is returning to normal, the airlines have been slow to respond to that.

"We're grateful for Jetstar's entrance into the market, but Bali really needs Qantas to serve this higher-end clientèle, who are willing to pay Qantas rates and want Qantas-style service."

AAP