More Airlines Assist Yogya Plight: Central Java, Indonesia

Candika flew back from Jakarta yesterday and she was telling me last night that at the Soekarano Hatta Airport in Jakarta there were literally hundreds of volunteer aid workers from around the world catching various flights.

She flew with Adam Air much to my disapproval, they have had a tendency lately of mishaps. Anyway, Candika said that a majority of the passengers on her flight were actually the aid workers from Japan. Japan is one of those countries that has always been there almost instantaneously whenever any disaster has occurred in Indonesia.

They were the first country on the spot when Gunung Merapi erupted in 1994 and so many people were killed and badly injured. And, they were there right away not long after the Tsunami that hit Aceh.

As more and more foreign aid pours into the Yogyakarta region, private airlines are also assisting in transporting the aid workers from around the country. These airlines now join the list of other airlines such as Garuda and Merpati. Here is the Article from the Jakarta Post:

More airlines to help Yogya
The Jakarta Post

Private airliners have joined their state counterparts to help earthquake victims in Yogyakarta by providing free round-trip tickets and cargo airlifts to members of established aid organizations.

"Out of the 1000 free seats we have offered 200 have been used. However if demand increases we will certainly set aside more free seats" said Adam Adithya Suherman the president director of budget airline Adam Air.

Adam said his company would also transport 100 tons of aid including medical supplies and tents free of charge for the helpers for two weeks.

"We fly passengers from Jakarta to Yogyakarta six times a day, to Semarang three times a day and to Solo once a day" he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Adam said potential passengers must prove that they represented established organizations, especially if they were from government agencies. Adam said the airline had prioritized assisting nurses and doctors because they were needed urgently in quake hit areas.

"We will not offer free seats to individuals who do not represent organizations because there is a chance that they could further complicate the relief situation by not having a place to stay" he said.

Lion Air is also offering similar ticket and cargo services during the post-quake emergency period.

President director Rusdi Kirana said Lion Air had not set aside a specific number of seats for aid workers. That figure would change based on supply and demand he said.

"The airline has also has allocated Rp 500 million to assist quake victims through the Transportation Ministry" he told the Post.

"Lion Air serves passengers from Jakarta to Yogyakarta five times a day and to Solo once a day. We also have flights from Surabaya to Yogyakarta once a day and from Denpasar, Bali, to Yogyakarta once a day" Rusdi said.

Adam Air and Lion Air staff are collecting donations from passengers during regular flights.

Yogyakarta's Adi Sucipto Airport which was closed during the weekend because of damage was opened on Monday to accommodate commercial and humanitarian flights.

Meanwhile the country’s 348 regents will hold a four day exhibition at the Semanggi Expo center in Central Jakarta from Thursday to Sunday to raise funds for the earthquake victims in Yogyakarta.

Indonesian Regents Cooperation Body head Bantaeng Regent Azikin Solthan said Tuesday the exhibition would be opened by Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

"We did a similar thing when the tsunami disaster hit Aceh province. We will then establish aid posts in Bantul and Klaten" he said.