Garuda, Bouraq sign agreement on aircraft maintenance

Garuda, Bouraq sign agreement on aircraft maintenance

JAKARTA (JP): The national air carrier Garuda Indonesia and
Bouraq airlines signed an agreement here yesterday to maintain
the private commercial airline's fleet at the Garuda Maintenance
Facility (GMF).

"GMF, which received certification from the United States
Federal Aviation Administration in 1992, has been able to
maintain and repair small and wide aircraft," Garuda's president,
Wage Mulyono (right), said after signing the agreement with
Bouraq's president, Jerry A. Sumendap (left).

He said several domestic and foreign airlines use GMF to
maintain their aircraft. The airlines include Pelita Air Service,
Gatari Airfast, Sempati Air, Kuwait Air, Air Libanon and World
Airways.

Under yesterday's agreement, Garuda will also provide training
and assistance for Bouraq's personnel on aircraft maintenance.

Sumendap said that utilizing GMF's facilities will help Bouraq
reduce maintenance expenditures by 20 percent.

"We used to maintain our aircraft at various facilities in
other countries, including Singapore, the United States and Hong
Kong," he said.

Bouraq also maintained some of its aircraft at PT Industri
Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN), the state-owned aircraft
producer in Bandung, West Java.

Bouraq's vice president, G. Benny Rungkat, told The Jakarta
Post that GMF's average maintenance fees run at US$30 per hour,
far lower than $50 charged by foreign maintenance facilities.

Bouraq's fleet is comprised of seven Boeing 737-200s, three
turbo-prop VC-843s, two Cassas and 15 turbo-prop BAE-748s.(icn)

Antara