Fly to Indonesia

In a country made up of over 17,500 islands and consisting of the world’s largest archipelago, if you want to get around then you either sail or fly. In the twenty first century where time is money, even in our squeezed vacation periods, the demand for air travel is constantly increasing. There is little doubt that the rapid expansion of airlines, air services and provincial airports in Indonesia has been fuelled by the unique geographic composition of this compelling nation.

Two destinations form the gateways for flights to Indonesia: the capital, Jakarta, is served by Soekarno-Hatta International airport (CGK) and is the centre of Government, Commerce and industry. It is a melting pot of diverse cultures derived from more than 300 distinct ethnic groups, speaking over 200 different languages and each with a wide spectrum of modern and ancient customs. Jakarta is exciting, frustrating, baffling and charming all at the same time. Jakarta is also the hub of the national airline, Garuda International, which operates flights to Jakarta from numerous international airports and has onward flights from Jakarta to a variety of airports within Indonesia itself.

The world class leisure resort of Bali is served by the country’s second largest international airport at Denpasar which is called Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS). Bali is a world apart from the chaos of Jakarta. Most of the population is Hindu and the island, approximately 100 miles wide by 70 miles long, oozes calm, artistic creativity and a relaxed life style impossible to re-create anywhere else in the world. Flights to Bali arrive from all over the globe including Australia, Japan, Singapore, and most recently from Amsterdam. KLM offer a four times weekly flight via Singapore and Garuda offer good connections from Amsterdam via Jakarta on its new Amsterdam flight starting June 2010.

For domestic flights within Indonesia there is the choice of many different airlines, both low cost and full service. Garuda Indonesia is still most travelers’ first choice to reach the many provincial hotspots it serves, particularly if they have used Garuda for their initial flights to Indonesia. However Garuda’s well established low-cost subsidiary, Citilink is equally good in terms of safety and on-time performance. Largest amongst its competitors is the aggressively named and privately-owned Lion Air. As well as operating 226 daily flights from Jakarta to 42 domestic destinations, Lion Air also has flights to Indonesia from Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

If Garuda, Citilink or Lion Air aren’t available there are also a number of smaller airlines which may be worth considering including Batavia, Merpati, Sriwijaya Air and Mandala airlines. Although it may be worth considering that – with the exception of Garuda Indonesia, Airfast, Mandala Airlines and Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua – all Indonesian airlines are currently banned from operating into the EC on safety grounds.

It is clear that Indonesia will continue to grow as a tourist destination while remote areas will only become more popular with foreign visitors. Jakarta will undoubtedly remain the country’s dominant hub airport and the choice of airlines to reach the more exotic islands will also expand. For anyone looking for cheap flights to Indonesia the options are endless making this a country of discovery waiting just beyond your doorstep.