(AFP) Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will increase its flights to four Indonesian cities starting March next year as part of a rationalisation programme, the Transport Minister said today.

Dr Ling Liong Sik was quoted by Bernama news agency as saying flights to the Indonesian cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Denpasar would be increased.

"It is being done as part of MAS's rationalisation programme which includes concentration on regional routes."

Ling said flights to Jakarta and Medan would be increased to three times daily from twice a day. MAS would also double its flights to Surabaya and Denpasar to twice daily.

He said MAS had been given permission to eventually increase it's flights to Jakarta to four times a day.

"The Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta sector is growing very fast and moreover we are rationalising the MAS service within the ASEAN region to cater for this growth," he said.

Restructuring

The loss-making national carrier last week announced it would axe 12 unprofitable international routes and increase flights in Asia following the terrorist attacks in the United States last month.

It said the network restructuring would cut losses by up to RM190 million a year and that it expected to break even by 2004.

The airline embarked on a plan to return to the black after the government renationalised it in February. It has debts totalling more than RM10 billion.