SYDNEY – Garuda Indonesia has been forced to close its offices in Brisbane and Adelaide as Australians continue to avoid Bali in the wake of what the airline calls “a series of unpredictable and tragic events, including a second Bali bomb in October 2005”.
Garuda has also acknowledged that it is being affected by the growing challenge from low cost carriers, which have forced it to restructure to save costs.
“We have been very fortunate to have the support of the Indonesian government during our most difficult financial times,” said the airline’s regional manager Southwest Pacific, Suranto Yitnopawiro,
“However, some hard decisions had to be made and sadly, in Australia, one such decision was the suspension of our Adelaide and Brisbane services late last year and early in 2007.”
In further cost cutting measures, the airline has now announced that it will close its branch offices in Adelaide and Brisbane, effective June 30.
“We deeply regret the need to close these offices, but will continue to monitor the market in both states and to offer our full support to the industry in these areas through our Sydney and Melbourne offices,” said Yitnopawiro.
