Lufthansa axes Jakarta flights

Nurfika Osman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Indonesia | Business | Tue, October 23 2012, 3:32 PM

German air carrier Lufthansa axed its direct flight between Munich and Jakarta temporarily for economic reasons.

"Fuel surcharge, which can reach up to US$500, is one of the reasons why we had to stop the flight," Marketing manager for Lufthansa Indonesia, Swiny Adestika, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Lufthansa used to serve Jakarta five times a week from Munich with an Airbus A340-300.

Lufthansa passengers bound for the Indonesian capital would now have a more complicated journey.

They must take Lufthansa via Frankfurt to Singapore and then link with Singapore Airlines or Garuda Indonesia for the final leg to Jakarta.

"Or they can go to Bangkok with Thai Airways or Hong Kong," she said.

She refused say if another reason for the flight cancellation was due to fiercer competition from Gulf carriers such as Etihad Airways, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, which provide Jakarta - Munich services.(iwa)