Garuda Indonesia is extending its network to the westernmost parts of the country, with additional capacity to, from and within the province of West Papua.

The Antara news agency reports that the national carrier will operate a larger Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Jakarta-Sorong route from early April 2017.

This will provide 162 seats on each flight to the Papuan coastal city of Sorong, which is the gateway to the scenic Raja Ampat Islands.

And from July, Garuda is planning to open a new route connecting Jayapura, the largest city in West Papua, with Dekai, in the centre of the province. This service will be operated daily using a 70-seat ATR aircraft.