Asia

New Flights To Increase German-Indonesian Relations

Meeting in Berlin outlines Citilink plans to begin German service

July 22nd, 2019
Frankie Fraser, News from Berlin
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On the 16th of July, the Indonesian Ambassador to Germany, Arif Havas Oegroseno, welcomed the Director of Citilink, Juliandra Nurtjahjo, to the Indonesian Embassy in Berlin. Citilink, a Jakarta based low-cost airline, originally set-up to provide interstate travel services between Indonesian cities has been gradually adding new destinations in recent years with Frankurt planned as the newest destination to receive a service. Beginning October 2019, flights will run between Indonesia and Frankfurt.

Ambassador Oegrseno championed the move, declaring "Within a year more than 270 thousand tourists from Germany visited Indonesia. The number of Indonesian citizens in Germany is around 25 thousand. Not to mention if we count that Frankfurt is one of the main hubs for flights to Poland, Czech and Slovakia. We can estimate the opportunities that can be taken.” He also saw it as an opportunity to compete against fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways both running services to Germany. “It’s time for us to take back the market opportunity,” said Ambassador Oegroseno. The commencing of flights will coincide with a large advertising campaign, with Citilink working with the largest tour operator in Germany, TUI Deutschland and the Visit Indonesia Tourism Office. It is hoped that the new Citilink route to Frankfurt will stimulate increased German tourists to Indonesia and business between the states.

Diplomatic relations between the two states are important due to the significant geopolitical influences each state have in their respective regions, with Germany the largest economy in the European Union with Indonesia the largest in ASEAN. The 2012 ’Jakarta Declaration’ between Germany and Indonesia outlined cooperation between the pair, providing a basis for close and multifaceted cooperation. Bilateral trade between the states was worth 6.08 billion euros in 2017, with over 30 German companyes working in Indonesia. It is hoped that the new flight service between the countries will enhance inter-community dialogue and increase cultural links between the states.

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News from Berlin