Garuda Indonesia pilots establish official association

JAKARTA (JP): The Communication Forum of Garuda Indonesia Pilots became an official association on Saturday, but it remains unclear whether it will act as a union or restrict its activities to developing the profession.

Forum chairman Dani Gunadi said the new Garuda Pilot Association (APG) would emphasize developing the profession to enable its members to meet the challenges of global competition and the rapid advance of technology.

Speaking during the opening of the forum's 12th and final meeting, Dani said members called for the establishment of the association to study and develop their profession.

However, Manotar Napitupulu, who has been with the airline for 20 years, said he hoped the new association would be an advocacy for pilots' interests.

He recommended the Garuda management involve pilots in setting policies. "After all, we know what's going on in the field."

The forum was formed 15 years ago to bring Garuda pilots together to discuss issues concerning their work.

Garuda operates 42 planes and employs 679 pilots.

Sixty of them have been seconded to foreign airlines, such as Swiss Air, Korean Air and China Air, after Garuda cut back on its foreign and domestic services during the economic crisis.

Dani said Indonesia relied heavily on the services of the airline industry because it was an archipelago.

The government, he added, should pay more attention to the development of the profession of pilots.

He said the communication forum played an important role in pushing Garuda to reform its management.

In tandem with management reform, the airline has launched a corporate restructurization program to reduce its US$1.8 billion debt. The airline has cut 40 percent of its international flight schedule and trimmed its fleet, from 58 aircraft in 1997 to 42 this year.

The company is technically bankrupt with $234 million in negative capital. The government has agreed to inject funds of $62 million a year for the next five years until Garuda is ready for privatization in 2003. (03)