JAKARTA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian airline Batik Air opened a new direct flight service linking Jakarta with Chinese southwestern city of Guilin, providing more transport accommodation for Chinese and foreign visitors to visit Indonesia.
The airline, operated by Indonesia's prominent airlines group of Lion Air, commenced its initial direct flight service from Jakarta to Guilin in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday, served with its brand new plane Boeing 737 MAX 8.
"With our vast domestic routes, visitors arrived from Guilin can continue their flights to destinations with Lion Air fleets and Wings Air which serve scheduled flights to diverse destinations across the country," Lion Air Public Relations Manager Andy Saladin said, referring to another domestic airline operated by Lion Air.
Lion Air's full-service airline of Batik Air currently serves 37 domestic and international routes with its fleet of 49 planes. Besides China, the airlines also serves flights to several cities in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and India.
Lion Air opened charter flights to China's Sanya earlier last month, adding its routes linking Chinese cities to several destinations in Indonesia.
The Indonesian airline, famed for its budget flight service, served routes of Indonesian cities of Denpasar, Manado, Balikpapan, Batam and Jakarta to Chinese cities including Changsha, Nanchang, Wuhan, Xiaoshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.
Indonesia Tourism Minister Arief Yahya hailed the launch of direct flight to Guilin, saying the Chinese city is an essential gate to fly visitors to Southeast Asian nations.
"Guilin is the Little Heaven of China. It is a historical and cultural city that has beautiful scenery and heritage buildings. The city has received 18 million visitors annually. With the direct flights to Indonesia, we expect them to come to Indonesia," the minister said. Enditem
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