Over one million foreign tourists from the territory are expected to come into Indonesia this year, higher than the original target of 700,000, Minister of Culture and Tourism Jero Wacik has said recently.

Indonesian leading carrier of PT Garuda Indonesia has restarted inaugural flight to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on June 1 after the removal of flight ban in July of 2009.

“So with the new line, I believe that the arrival rate will rise,” Wacik said.

According to him the direct route would attract people interested in visiting Indonesia.

“If there was no direct line to Indonesia, people are reluctant to visit our country because they prefer to travel to other countries which have direct flight,” he said.

The Indonesian government has increased the target of revenue from tourism sector this year to 7 billion U.S. dollars from the original target of 6.5 billion U.S. dollars, and promoted Indonesia in some countries.

The improved economy of the world has led to increased spending per tourist.

Garuda Indonesia has targeted to open more new routes in Europe, including to Frankfurt, London, Paris and Rome, President Director of the company Emirsyah Satar has said, which may attract more tourists coming into Indonesia.

The European Union imposed the restriction on 51 Indonesian airliners in July 2007 following the rampant air accidents that killed over 250 people.

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Commenting on the World’s Most Improved Airline Award won by Garuda Indonesia, Skytrax Chairman, Mr. Edward Plaisted said, “This was a very competitive category in the 2010 Awards, and our sincere congratulations go to Garuda Indonesia on their success. It is clear that a real process of transformation has become well progressed at Garuda Indonesia, and aside from new aircraft and new onboard products, it was improvements in onboard service that were most frequently commented upon by survey respondents.”

Mr. Agus Priyanto - EVP of Garuda Indonesia, collects the Award for the World's Most Improved Airlines

The runners-up in this Award category also received acclaim from Skytrax, with Hainan Airlines another airline where survey respondents specifically highlighted the standards of onboard service. Oman Air in 3rd place was commended for the product transformation that customers felt worthy of nomination.

Credit : Skytrax

Garuda Indonesia, the Southeastern Asian nation’s state-owned flag carrier, operates a fleet composed primarily of Boeing 747s and 737s. The airline plans to add another 23 737-800s in 2010 , and will be operating 42 737-800s by year-end.

The airline has an aggressive fleet-expansion plan that is part of its ‘quantum leap’ transformation strategy. Garuda Indonesia plans grow its fleet from 67 to 116 airplanes by 2014, almost a doubling of the fleet within four years. The carrier says its 737-800 fleet will support Garuda Indonesia’s expansion plans as it adds new domestic routes and increases frequencies on regional services.

That several Indonesian airlines are bucking global trends, posting profits while the global aviation industry is sweating blood, is proof that the country’s decision to open up the aviation industry some years ago was the right one.

For years national carrier Garuda was posting heavy losses and requiring subsidies from the government. Its in-flight services were below industry standards and its aircraft dated. But now, Garuda has announced Rp 1 trillion ($107 million) in net profit, 34 percent higher than the previous year. The flag carrier is also currently using the latest aircraft and its safety standards are in line with industry standards.

Other carriers are also following suit. Lion Air, Mandala and Sriwijaya Air are reporting profits too, although they have not so far provided details and figures to support their claims.

As a result of the opening of the aviation sector, more Indonesians now fly. In an archipelagic country the size of Indonesia, the importance of air links cannot be overemphasized.

The sector here is one of the fastest growing in the world as a consequence. Air fares have come down significantly and consumers have more choice. This is a win-win situation for both parties.

For the aviation industry to keep growing, two important developments must take place. Safety standards must continue to be raised, with tighter maintenance controls.

Not only should the safety aspects of aviation be tightly regulated but those rules should also be firmly and comprehensively enforced. Nothing will bring the industry crashing down more quickly than a few air disasters.

Every airline should always strive to enhance the quality of its manpower and, whenever possible, that of its fleet.

The country has already seen the impact a string of air disasters can have on the industry. A blanket ban on Indonesian airlines flying in European airspace was put in place in 2007.

So far the ban has only been lifted on a handful of carriers, allowing them to fly to Europe once again. The ban failed to inflict serious direct losses, but it did manage to drag down Indonesia’s image as a safe destination to visit.

But air safety alone will not be able to improve Indonesia’s chances in competing with neighboring nations in drawing business and tourists. A host of other factors need to be seriously addressed, key among them is infrastructure.

New airports must be built and older ones expanded and modernized. They must be equipped with more up-to-date technology. The country should also make the most of a 2008 law that opened the management of airports in the country to the private sector.

The trial of the service was carried out on Garuda Indonesia GA-881 flight which flying from Tokyo – Denpasar – Jakarta. “Immigration on Board” is a non queue and more simple immigration document process for foreign passenger during flight.

To enjoy the Immigration on Board service, foreign travelers are requested to purchase “Visa on Arrival’ vouchers available at Garuda Indonesia check-in counters . During flight, two immigration officers on board will conduct passport checks and issue “Visa on Arrival” and a special card that must be returned to ground immigration officers upon arrival before exiting the airport. Thanks to this new service, passengers will save time and enjoy hassle-free travel, without having to wait long queues at the immigration counters.

The Immigration on Board service is part of Garuda Indonesia’s ongoing efforts to provide innovative services as the airline continues to improve service quality towards its customers. The launching of Immigration on Board gives foreign travelers the freedom to bypass queues at the immigration counters and have a more pleasant travel experience in Indonesia. On the part of the airline, this new service is testimony of its commitment to further the national tourism industry.

Commenting on the 4-Star Certification for Garuda Indonesia, Edward Plaisted (Skytrax CEO) said, “…this 4-Star Airline Certification is a coveted seal Quality Approval that an airline receives in recognition of its front-line Product and Service quality. Garuda Indonesia has undergone a major quality transformation and improvement during the past year, across both their product and front-line service standards. New aircraft with a high-end product are now joining their fleet, and the retrofitting of their A330-300 aircraft was the catalyst that really enabled us to upgrade their rating level to a 4-Star airline status.”

Garuda Indonesia is now one of just 27 airlines worldwide that currently meet the rigorous quality criteria which Skytrax set for this 4-Star airline ranking.

The official 4-Star airlines ranking is due recognition for those airlines providing a good standard of Product across all travel categories, combining with a good standard of Staff Service delivery.

The airline Star ranking assesses Quality levels across both the Onboard and Airport environments – for Garuda Indonesia the airport ranking reflects their home base of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.