Batam to have $10m aircraft facility
Batam to have $10m aircraft facility
By I. Christianto
BATAM ISLAND, Riau (JP): The island of Batam, which has been
developed as an industrial and tourism center since the early
1970's, will soon have an aircraft maintenance facility jointly
owned by Indonesian and Singaporean parties.
The agreement for the US$10 million facility, called PT Batam
Aircraft Maintenance, was signed here yesterday.
The facility will be the second largest after the one operated
by Garuda Indonesia at the compound of the Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport in Jakarta.
The participants were four Indonesian companies and one
Singapore company comprising the National Aircraft Manufacturer
Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) which will have 25
percent ownership; the foundation of Adi Upaya of the Air Force
(Yasau) which will have 20 percent ownership; and Sempati Air,
one subsidiary of the Humpuss Group owned by President Soeharto's
youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra, which will have 20 percent
ownership.
The other parties includes PT Saltim Mitra Corporation and
Singapore Aerospace (SAe), an affiliate of the Singapore
Technologies Holdings. Saltim and SAe will hold 10 percent and 25
percent ownership in the joint venture, respectively.
PT Saltime Mitra Corporation is a joint venture between the
Salim Group, the country's largest business owned by Indonesia's
richest man Liem Sioe Liong, and Timsco Group owned by Syatim
Aburrachman (Timmi) Habibie.
The agreement, signed by IPTN's director of aircraft services
Mangatur Pardede, Sempati's president Hasan M. Soedjono, Saltim's
president S.A. Habibie, Indonesian Air Force's deputy chief of
staff Sugiarto who represented Yasau, and SAe's president Quek
Poh Huat, hopes to anticipate the increasing necessity for better
aircraft maintenance centers in Asia.
Collaboration
State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie said
that the mega-project will be a collaboration to share and
combine the technical expertise, management experience, human
resources and marketing networks of the five parties.
Meanwhile, Pardede said: "IPTN, the all-Indonesian designed
aircraft manufacturer and SAe will provide management and
technical assistance for the joint venture, while Yasau will
construct the project's infrastructure facilities."
He added that the project's construction will start soon and
will be completed within 18 months, as the facility is planned to
start operations in the middle of 1996.
He said that the idea was first prepared in late 1991 but
initially faced serious obstacles as all the parties involved
were big companies.
He said that the facility will handle the full range of
aircraft maintenance services, focusing on airframe overhaul for
narrow-body and commuter airplanes. Pardede added that they will
not compete with Garuda Maintenance Facility in Jakarta.
Meanwhile, Quek said that SAe will also provide a
comprehensive range of services for both military and civilian
aircraft, including maintenance, modification and upgrade
services to the customers on a global base.
The 415 square kilometer island of Batam, located some 20
kilometers Southeast of Singapore, will actually have an
international airport with 4,000-meter runway.
Habibie said that, as the island will be very busy with
industrial activities, the airport here should be able to handle
jumbo jets serving both international scheduled, chartered
passenger and cargo flights.