Jakarta. Indonesia's third largest airline Sriwijaya Air will operate new flights from major cities in the country to Raja Ampat — a famous resort area in Papua — starting on Oct. 21.

Sriwijaya will fly to Raja Ampat from Jakarta, Surabaya in East Java, Yogyakarta, Semarang in Central Java and Makassar in South Sulawesi.

"We want to support the government's goal to promote tourism in Indonesia by offering new flights to potential tourist destinations across the country," Agus Soedjono, the airline's senior corporate communications manager, said in a statement.

All Sriwijaya flights to Raja Ampat will transit in Sorong, West Papua, where passengers will be transferred to an ATR 72-600, a short haul plane with a capacity of 70 passengers.

The airline also plans to add new flights to other tourist destinations in West Papua, including Fakfak and Kaimana.