Garuda Indonesia has opened a new route to connect Surabaya in East Java to Medina in Saudi Arabia in a bid to expand its flight network in the Middle East and tap into the potential umroh (minor haj) market.
Introduced on Tuesday at Surabaya’s Juanda International Airport, the all economy class flight will be available once a week on Tuesday using Airbus A330-300 that can accommodate 360 passengers.
“Hopefully we can provide ease and comfort to East Javanese residents and others who are traveling on a pilgrimage since this direct flight will help save time and money,” said Garuda Indonesia Cargo Director Sigit Muhartono in a press release.
The national flag carrier currently operates two direct international routes from Surabaya, to Singapore and Jeddah.
Following the opening of the Surabaya-Medina route, Garuda Indonesia now operates a total of 34 flights to the Middle East from major cities in Indonesia.