South Korean low-cost carrier Jin Air is ready to fly to Lombok in the Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara using a wide-bodied Boeing 777 plane to encourage the tourism industry there, an official said.
“I have received an official (notification) from the chairman of Korean Air that its subsidiary, Jin Air, is ready to fly to Lombok using Boeing 777,” Chief of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong noted following a meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs here on Monday.
He stated that low-cost carriers are badly needed to boost the tourism industry in Indonesia.
Although investment in the tourism sector is not large, it still plays a very strategic role in creating jobs and bringing in foreign exchange earnings from international tourists, he said.
“This needs an extraordinary teamwork as many tourists depend on air connectivity. We need air connectivity, particularly through budget carriers, so that there will be low-cost flights from Korea, China, Japan, Australia, India, and so on,” he remarked.
Besides low-cost carriers, the government must also prepare supporting infrastructures to boost the tourism industry, he pointed out.
“Although the runways and terminals of airports are still good, we still need to upgrade them. We must check their electronic navigation system, so that planes can land and take off despite bad weather,” he stated.