Citilink To Serve New Route Of Surabaya - Johor

Jakarta, March 5 (Antara) - Citilink airline said it will serve its first international flight between the East Java city of Surabaya and Malaysia`s Johor Baru. The subsidiary of the country`s flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, will start serving the new route on March 15, its CEO Arif Wibowo said in a statement here on Wednesday. "The opening of the Surabaya-Johor Baru route is part of Citilink`s expansion plan domestically and internationally," Arif said. The opening of the route is also aimed at promoting tourist objects in Surabaya and East Java, and to facilitate the return of Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia, he added. "We are providing special offer for Indonesian workers wanting to return home to the country," he said. The workers deserve special offer as they had contributed much to easing unemployment problem in Indonesia and to the country`s economy in general, he said. Citilink will also open new route between Surabaya and Kuala Lumpur to be operational on April 1 this year, he said. Earlier, Citilink won a token of appreciation as the best Indonesian airline in 2013 from Surabaya`s Juanda Airport on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the state airport operator Angkasa Pura I. The token of appreciation was given for best "On Time Performance" , safety and flight services. Arif said the token of appreciation was a result of the airline commitment remain modest, attaching greater importance to timeliness and convenience . Citilink operates a fleet of 24 units of the latest type of Airbus A320 including two units of Sharklets type. The fleet serves 32 domestic routes with frequency of 130 in 24 destination cities all over Indonesia everyday.