AIR France will launch a new service between Jakarta and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle via Singapore starting March 30, in line with the French government’s growing interest in Indonesia.
The service, which returns after a 10-year hiatus, will be operated by a Boeing 777-300 with 303 seats in four classes.
Duncan Rutgers, country manager for Air France-KLM Indonesia, said: “Jakarta as Air France’s new route fits perfectly into our strategy where we are focusing on the (rich) potential of the South-east Asian region.
“We believe among Indonesians, Paris is a very attractive destination, not only for holidaymakers but also for business travellers.”
The new flight will complement the existing Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur-Amsterdam and Denpasar-Singapore-Amsterdam routes, both operated daily by KLM. “Jointly, there will be 21 flights per week from Indonesia to Europe as of summer 2014,” he noted.
Rutgers highlighted that the reintroduction of the Jakarta-Paris service is in line with the French government’s sharpening focus on Indonesia.
“There are many French companies coming into Indonesia. There are currently around 250 companies operating in the country. Our foreign minister has also encouraged Indonesians to study in France,” he said, adding that he was confident that Indonesia is an emerging market for the airline.
The resurrected service is also part of Air France’s adjustment to aircraft deployment, which saw the Airbus 380 formerly serving Paris-Singapore moved to Paris-Shanghai and the Singapore route given over to the B777-300 to enable the latter continue on to Jakarta.
On the competition posed by Middle Eastern airlines, which have good route network in Europe, Rutgers said: “With the size of the Indonesian middle class, available capacity in the market is still not enough. There is a natural demand for growth we can fulfill.”
