Merpati plans to serve more international routes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Merpati Nusantara Airlines, a subsidiary of the
\nnational flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia, plans to augment its
\nservice to overseas destinations and cut down on unprofitable
\ndomestic and regional routes.<\/p>\n
Merpati's director of operations, Prasetyo Wisaksono, said
\nhere yesterday that the airline plans to open, later this year, a
\nroute linking Jakarta and Hong Kong via Medan in North Sumatra by
\noperating Airbus A-310-300 aircraft.<\/p>\n
He said the government has shown the green light for the
\nJakarta-Hong Kong route.<\/p>\n
\"The Hong Kong authority has also licensed us to serve the
\nBritish colony, but we have to first coordinate our slot,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"A-310 aircraft will also be operated to fly thrice weekly to
\nMelbourne, Australia, starting later this month,\" he said, after
\nattending a ceremony to commemorate Merpati's 34th anniversary at
\nits headquarters yesterday.<\/p>\n
He said that Merpati has leased two five-year-old A-310s from
\na French financing company.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta-Melbourne route was originally scheduled to
\ncommence last month.<\/p>\n
\"The service to Melbourne will commence later this month
\nbecause one of the two A-310 aircraft was only recently delivered
\nafter having configuration adjustments made,\" Merpati's
\npresident, Budiarto Subroto, said.<\/p>\n
The aircraft arrived last night at the Soekarno-Hatta airport,
\nwest of here, after leaving Toulouse in France on Thursday via
\nSharjah in the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n
The Airbus A-310 series, with an original configuration of 220
\nseats, have been the most profitable aircraft. Merpati has
\nordered a configuration with 186 seats.<\/p>\n
According to Budiarto, Merpati is currently evaluating a
\nnumber of \"skinny routes\" which bring less revenue or make
\nlosses.<\/p>\n
Merpati, for instance, recently terminated its twice-weekly
\nservice from Kupang in East Nusa Tenggara to Darwin in Australia
\ndue to a low load factor. The airline also serves a few regional
\nroutes to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n
Budiarto refused, however, to disclose his company's losses in
\nthe first six months of this year. In a report to the House of
\nRepresentatives earlier this year, the airline's losses were
\nestimated at Rp 64 billion this year, as compared to losses of
\nRp 93.12 billion ($39.2 million) last year.<\/p>\n
The company, assigned to serve remote areas in the country
\nwith fewer passengers, currently operates 85 aircraft of various
\ntypes -- B-737-200s, F-28s, F-27s, ATPs, Casa-212s and Twin
\nOtters -- most of which are aged.<\/p>\n
Prasetyo said that Merpati is attempting to improve its public
\nservice, particularly its flight punctuality.<\/p>\n
\"We have some 400 flights per day. The current rate for
\ncanceled and delayed (by over 15 minutes) services is 20
\npercent,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He admitted that there have been several delays in Merpati's
\nschedules for a variety of reasons. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/merpati-plans-to-serve-more-international-routes-1447893297",
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