Sumut Airlines likely to use Malaysian aircraft
Sumut Airlines likely to use Malaysian aircraft
Medan, North Sumatra: The North Sumatra administration-owned
airline company, PT Sumut Airlines, is likely to use aircraft
belonging to Kuala Lumpur-based charter company PT Rabin Global
Airlines to help open up the province and help improve its exports.
Budi Sinulingga, chief of the province's development planning
board, said Rabin Global, one of three charter companies offering
aircraft to the airline company and the provincial administration
was still conducting a feasibility study on its offer.
"The three companies have already lodged their own proposal
but according to our study, the provincial administration will
likely accept Rabin Global's bid," he said here over the weekend.
The airline was established recently by the provincial
government in cooperation with seven remote regencies to improve
transport links.
The seven regencies were Central, North and South Tapanuli,
Mandailing-Natal, Padang Sidempuan, Nias and Sibolga, all located
along the province's west coast.
Sinulingga said Sumut Airlines will sign a three-month
contract with Rabin Global to serve the Sibolga-Kuala Lumpur-
Medan-Lhokseumawe route for passengers and the Sibolga-Kuala
Lumpur route for cargo.
He said Ravin Global would provide two Fokker-27 airplanes, a
cargo plane and a helicopter to serve the routes.
"The cargo aircraft will transport some 20 tons of fresh fish
from Sibolga to Kuala Lumpur every day," he said, adding the
airline would start operating in June.
Abd. Razak Omar, operation director of Rabin Global, said his
company would invest US$30 million if the provincial
administration decided to use its airplanes.
"The money will be used to prepare the Fokker-27 and cargo
airplanes and to insure them," he said.
The seven regencies have been in urgent need of air transport
since both government officials and local businessmen have to
spend a day traveling by land to reach either the provincial
capital, Singapore or Malaysia.