Turkish airlines to fly to Jakarta

Turkey’s flag carrier is to commence an Istanbul-Jakarta service on August 31 in a further boost to the country’s aviation links, The Jakarta Globe reported.

“A number of officials will travel on the first flight, including Turkey’s ambassador to Indonesia.” Herry Bhakti, the Transportation Ministry’s Director General of Civil Aviation, said Wednesday.

Bhakti said he issued a license on Monday for the airline to establish a Jakarta office and would try to persuade it to extend the route to Denpasar, Bali.

Turkish Airlines will fly to Jakarta six times a week after making stops in Singapore.

Separately, the president’s special envoy to the Middle East, Alwi Shihab, said that bilateral trade discussions were also under way, including allowing a number of Turkish banks to open branches in Jakarta, as well as possible partnerships for construction projects, and even code-sharing deals between PT Garuda Indonesia and Turkish Airlines.