In order to follow up the discussion that was facilitated by D-8 Secretariat between the Turkish reputable aviation company, AtlasJet, with the Indonesia Tourism Minister on early July this year, Secretary General, Mr. Widi Pratikto paid a courtesy visit to AtlasJet headquarter in Istanbul.

Mr. Pratikto was welcomed warmly by Mr. Ali Murat Ersoy, the President of AtlasJet, with whom he had a lengthy and productive talk about the potentials waiting to be unrevealed among D-8 Countries, as well as bilaterally with the Indonesian aviation sector. Mr Pratikto conveyed the enthusiasm on the side of the Indonesian Tourism ministry to explore any possibilities with AtlasJet in the opening of new routes from Istanbul to Bali or nearby destinations, such as Lombok. “Indonesia has a rich underwater scenes for diving enthusiasts and also many wonderful and peaceful views of the nature in the eastern part of the country, which I believe can be a magnet for Turkish tourists,” said Mr Pratikto.

Mr. Ersoy said that he is aware that Indonesia has a huge tourism potential, and that the number of tourist visiting Indonesia from Turkey should be increased more to match this potential. “For example, at the moment Turkish tourist loves Bali island, because it is a perfect destination for honeymooners,” he said. “But we want to promote not only Bali, but also other new gems of Indonesian landscapes in other regions,” Mr. Ersoy added.

He said that his company is preparing a study proposal for the new route opening from Turkey, and shall be in contact with D-8 Secretariat and Indonesian Tourism Ministry to seriously explore this opportunities. He said that AtlasJet shall officially send the study proposal to D-8 Secretariat soon. He also added that his company shall actively participate in the upcoming D-8 Working Group meeting in Civil Aviation which will be held in Antalya, Turkey, on November 26-28, 2010.

As previously known, the Turkish member in D-8 Civil Aviation Cooperation, which is at the same time is the national flag carrier, the Turkish Airlines, has officially opened the new direct route serving passangers from Istanbul to Jakarta on September 2009.The route has now became one of the fastest growing route of the airlines.