Singapore links Sydney and Jakarta

SINGAPORE Airlines will link Sydney and Jakarta from next month in a three-times weekly service that marks the carrier’s second new route to Australia this year.

The move, which the airline says is in response to demand,  will boost the Singaporean carrier’s weekly  flights to Sydney to 34 when it starts the service on November 23.

The announcement comes after the airline earlier this month started its Capital Express service joining Singapore, Canberra and Wellington.

Flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and are expected to involve a codeshare with Virgin Australia. It will be operated by a Boeing 777-200ER with 26 business class seats with a fully flat bed in a 1-2-1 layout and 245 economy seats in a 3-3-3 configuration.

 “Australia and Indonesia are two of Singapore Airlines’ most popular routes in our global network,” Singapore Airlines regional vice president South West Pacific  Tan Tiow Kor. “The new Singapore – Jakarta – Sydney vv service is another example of our longstanding commitment to Australia and the South West Pacific region. ‘'

 Singapore is also adding eight new weekly flights on its Singapore-Jakarta route bring the total frequency for the route to 71 flights a week, or 74 when the Sydney flight is included.

Sydney Airport chief executive Kerrie Mather said the route would add 84,000 seats annually and further support investment flows of $A10 billion a year between Australia and Indonesia.

She said the Indonesia market was  one of Sydney Airport’s biggest growth markets, with passenger numbers growing 13 per cent on the previous year to more than 620,000.