MNA operates cargo plane

JAKARTA (JP): Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MNA), a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, will start operating a cargo plane this month.

Merpati's spokesman, Benny Achmad, told The Jakarta Post here on Saturday that a Boeing 707 will serve tuna cargoes bound for Asia-Pacific destinations, including Japan.

Based on Government Regulation No. 10/1978, Merpati is allowed to offer both commercial and cargo flight services.

Achmad said that the cargo service will be operated in cooperation with PT Indopasific Merpati Cargo, a joint venture between Indonesian and Australian companies, which will manage marketing.

Merpati sent its cargo plane, which has a capacity of 40 tons, on a trial run last Thursday. The flight transported Australian relief aid for Rwandans.

Merpati currently operates 90 aircraft, including five advanced turbo propellers (ATPs), 11 Cassa-212s, 10 Twin Otters, 13 Fokker-27s, three Fokker-100s, 14 CN-235s, six DC-9s and 28 F- 28s. (icn)