Garuda Indonesia to take over

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia would take over some passengers of Qatar Airways who have taken the Jakarta-Saudi Arabia flight route.

"We have a cooperation with Qatar Airways that some passengers, who would fly from Jakarta to Saudi Arabia, would be transferred to Garuda Indonesias flight," President and CEO of PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, Pahala N Mansyuri, told ANTARA here on Thursday.

Garuda would take the opportunity to promote its potential hajj pilgrimage route, he added.

Pahala explained that in its first transfer, Garuda Indonesia would carry 45 passengers from Jakarta to Saudi Arabia and some 150 passengers in its next flight.

Previously, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi stated that he would temporarily revoke Qatar Airways license and transfer its passengers to other airlines, following severed ties between some Arab countries and Qatar resulting in the closure of flights from and to Qatar.

"We are saddened by the decision, but we have to provide substitution for the passengers. We have a solution for this. Some passengers from Jakarta, especially hajj pilgrims, would be transferred to Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Arabian Airlines," Sumadi noted.

Qatar Airways flights from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia would be transferred to Garuda, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Turkish Airlines.

"Regarding foreign tourists, I agree with the tourism minister. There are many tourists who want to visit Indonesia. I am not saying that we do not need Qatar Airways, but there are many substitutions for air accessibility," he remarked, adding that as a solution, they could transfer the flight to Emirates, Etihad, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia.

Budi noted that the license revocation of Qatar Airways was only temporary, considering the airlines contribution to passengers mobility from the Middle East region to Indonesia.