By plane, train, automobile, and boat, travelers have tried to access the remote treasures of Indonesia’s archipelago. Unreliable local transit routes and limited runway capacity tack on hours of travel time to already lengthy journeys. Garuda Indonesia has introduced a new line of small aircraft to meet demand for accessing the country’s stunning treasures with a fleet of turboprop ATR72-600 aircraft called “Explore.” The Explore sub-brand introduced a group of new flights this month to serve high-demand tourism destinations that are difficult to access. The three new daily routes include Bali’s Denpasar to Lombok and return, Denpasar to Sumbawa’s Bima to Lombok and return, and Denpasar to West Flores’s Labuan Bajo to South Flores’s Ende and return. Labuan Bajo offers access to Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara. On December 26 more routes with daily flights to Labuan Bajo and Tambolaka, near to West Sumba, will commence in addition to a Lombok and Bima route. The ATR72-600 aircraft has a single class of economy seating for 70 passengers. Garuda will receive a total of 35 ATR72-600 planes in stages until 2017. The plane is ideal for runways less than 1,600 meters, making them too small for jet planes.

For more information, visit Garuda Indonesia.