20000206

Indonesia chooses Bali as its air gateway to East Timor

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has chosen Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport as its air gateway to East Timor, the Antara news agency said on Saturday.

In a report from Bonn, Antara quoted Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid as saying the agreement to use Bali as an airlink had been already reached, and that services would start with once-weekly flights.

"The air service will be increased in stages later," said Wahid, who is currently on an extended tour of Europe. The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) has been holding talks with Indonesia's Merpati Nusantara airlines over the past months with an eye to opening flights to Indonesia.

Currently the only civilian airline with landing rights at Dili's Comoro airport is Australia's Air North, a charter company.

Wahid was quoted as saying at the press conference that "Indonesia's relations with East Timor will be determined much by the degree of relations between Indonesia and Australia."

United Nations personnel travelling to East Timor from Jakarta are currently forced to rely on charter flights laid on by UN agencies out of Indonesian-controlled West Timor.AFP