Seven new local airlines to start operating this year
Seven new local airlines to start operating this year
JAKARTA (JP): Seven new local airlines will start their
commercial operations this year to provide scheduled flights to
various domestic and international destinations.
The seven airlines are Pelita Air Service, Indonesian Airlines
Avi Patria, AIRWAGON International (AWAIR), Lion Mentari Air
(Lion Airlines), Bayu Indonesia Air, Rusmindo Internusa Air and
Jatayu Air.
Directors from five of the airlines, excluding Internusa Air
and Jatayu Air, briefed on Wednesday the House Commission IV in
charge of transportation and infrastructure on their preparations
and plans for the new business.
Pelita Air Service president Soeratman said the airline, which
has been operating for years as a chartered carrier, would use at
least two aircraft to support its plan to regularly serve over 12
local destinations.
"For the initial stage, we will start with flights from
Jakarta to Sorong, Yogyakarta, Balikpapan as well as some remote
cities in East Kalimantan," he told the commission members.
Soeratman has earlier projected the company's new business
would be able to contribute about Rp 100 billion to Pelita's
predicted total revenues of Rp 600 billion for this year.
Indonesian Airlines' president Rudy Setyopurnomo said his
company planned to serve 30 destinations across the country using
a total of 10 aircraft of the Boeing 737-200s model.
He said the company had spent at least Rp 20 billion (US$2.5
million) in preparing for its operations.
Lion Airlines will start its commercial operation at the end
of this month, according to company director of operations David
Lumbuun.
He said the airlines would initially fly to some local
destinations, including Pontianak, Palembang and Medan, and
expand to more cities in the eastern part of Indonesia by the end
of this year.
While Bayu Indonesia will start flying in July to serve
regular flights connecting Jakarta to Medan, Kuala Lumpur and
Penang, and are awaiting the arrival of its aircraft in Jakarta
this month, company president Soelarto said.
Of the five airlines, AWAIR has received the most questions
from the members as they were curious about the involvement of
President Abdurrahman Wahid and his vanished masseuse Suwondo in
the company.
AWAIR president Rachmat Soebakir said President Abdurrahman
"Gus Dur" Wahid was actually one of the founders controlling 40
percent of the stake at the establishment of the company in mid
1999, but immediately withdrew after being elected as president
in October.
He said Gus Dur's masseuse Suwondo, who is at the center at
the high profile Bulog scandal, allegedly involving the
President's close aides, was also the founder of the airline with
15 percent stake.
But, Suwondo too then resigned from AWAIR, Rachmat said
without elaborating.
"At present, AWAIR is owned by three people, businessmen Bin
Haris and Hadianto who owns 45 percent and 40 percent stakes
respectively and myself with 15 percent stake," he told the
commission members.
Rachmat said AWAIR was licensed to ply on 27 domestic and 28
international routes.
He said the airline would initially fly to domestic
destinations, including Surabaya, Medan, Batam and Ujungpandang,
and start its international services to destination cities in
Taiwan and Australia early next year at the latest.
The seven new scheduled airlines will add to the country's
total 103 air carriers, including five existing scheduled
carriers, namely state-owned firms Garuda Indonesia and Merpati
Nusantara and privately-owned Mandala Airlines, Bouraq Airlines
and Dirgantara Air Service. (cst)