Airlines owe $30m to Pertamina
Airlines owe $30m to Pertamina
JAKARTA (JP): State oil and gas company Pertamina's president
Soegianto has said Pertamina is owed over US$30 million by the
Garuda, Merpati and Sempati airlines for late payment of aviation
fuel.
He said Garuda owed Pertamina Rp 103 billion and $12.8 million
for the purchase of aviation fuel. It also has to pay Rp 10.8
billion and $3 million in fines for delaying the payment.
Sempati owes Pertamina $4.3 million for aviation fuel and has
to pay another $537,000 in fines for delaying the payment.
Sempati stopped operations last month due to financial
difficulties.
Merpati owes Pertamina $1.9 million and has to pay another
$66,000 in fines for delaying the payment.
Speaking Wednesday at a hearing with the House of
Representatives (DPR), Soegianto said Pertamina had notified
Garuda that it must pay cash for fuel starting June 1, while
Merpati must pay cash beginning May 1.
"Garuda has filed a protest with the minister of mines and
energy (Kuntoro Mangkusubroto) against Pertamina's move,"
Soegianto told Commission V for mines and energy during the
hearing.
At the hearing, legislators also questioned a swap deal
between Pelita Air Service and the bankrupt aircraft manufacturer
Fokker NV of the Netherlands.
Djusril Djusan of the Golkar grouping and FX Suyitno of the
Armed Forces (ABRI) faction said the deal, in which Pelita had to
swap its seven old Fokker 28 with five new Fokker 70 several
years ago, had caused a major financial loss to the airline
company, a subsidiary of Pertamina.
Pelita had received one Fokker 70 in exchange for two Fokker
28 before the Dutch aircraft manufacturer went bankrupt in March,
1996. The bankruptcy led to the termination of the deal.
"I don't understand why Pelita made a deal which clearly
caused it losses," Djusril said in a hearing between Pertamina
and the DPR.
Djusril said the swap of Pelita's two Fokker 28 for one new
Fokker 70 was not fair because the two were much more
valuable than one new Fokker 70.
He said that Pelita, therefore, deserved some compensation
from the Fokker trustee which handled Fokker's debts after
bankruptcy.
Pelita's president, Oedijono, said Pelita did not ask for
compensation from Fokker because the deal was fair enough.
He said one Fokker 70 costs $26.6 million, much more expensive
than the two old Fokker 28 owned by Pelita, which both were
valued at $2.5 million.
Djusril and Suyitno could not accept Oedijono's explanation.
"I don't think Fokker was willing to suffer a loss. It's
Pelita which suffered a loss," Suyitno said.
After a long debate, commission vice chairman Supartanida, who
headed the hearing, concluded that the commission needed to hold
a special hearing with Pelita to study the case further. The
special hearing will be held on July 16.
Pelita suffered a loss of Rp 16.7 billion ($1.1 million) in
1996/1997. (jsk)