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)