Garuda Inaugurates Makassar-Singapore Route

If you are backpacking or just doing the tourist thing in Asia and your next destination is Bali then the new Garuda route is right up your alley. It is even great for Expats renewing their visas that want to have a couple of days on another island just for a change.

For travellers wishing to see a bit more of the archipelago besides Java and Bali, then you can fly to Makassar in Sulawesi and have a few days there or a week maybe. After that it is on to Bali from there because the domestic routes in Indonesia are aptly serviced.

According to a Business News report, state-owned airline Garuda Indonesia officially inaugurated a new route linking Makassar and Singapore Saturday to meet the growing demand for a direct flight from the South Sulawesi capital to the neighbouring country.

For the time being Garuda's Boeing 737-300 serves the route once a day. The outbound flight departs Hasanudin Airport at 7:00 a.m. and transits at Juanda Airport before heading on to Singapore.

Garuda said tickets were priced from US$258 to $278.
The route was officially launched in Makassar on Saturday at a ceremony attended by South Sulawesi Governor Amin Syam and the airline's general manager in Makassar, A. Azhar.