KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. Garuda Indonesia is set to open new routes from Denpasar in Bali to Zhengzhou and Xi'an in China starting at the end of January.

The national flag carrier's cargo director, Sigit Muhartono, said in a press release on Friday that the move was part of the company's efforts to tap into the Chinese market.

"These new routes also portray our optimism in increasing our market share. Currently, Garuda Indonesia's market share for Indonesia-China routes is around 35%," said Sigit.

He added that the move also aimed to support Bali tourism following the eruption of Mount Agung.

The new service from Denpasar to Xi'an will operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays starting Jan. 29 using the Airbus A330-300, which can accommodate 360 passengers. Meanwhile, the Denpasar-Zhengzhou route will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays starting Jan. 30, also using the Airbus A330-300.

Garuda Indonesia currently serves 63 direct flights per week to cities in China, namely Denpasar-Chengdu, Denpasar-Beijing, Denpasar-Guangzhou, Denpasar-Shanghai, Jakarta-Guangzhou, Jakarta-Beijing and Jakarta-Shanghai.

Editor: Dupla Kartini