Spread your wings and fly away, Indonesia

Yet another attempt

2024-04-25T19:48:00.000+07:00

Hello World!

It is a new year already. April 25, 2024, to be precise.

Going to restart the blog, again. In an umpteenth effort.

Today, we celebrate The Jakarta Post's 41st anniversary. It was such a great journey so far, full of ups and downs, (missed) opportunities and tough challenges.

Ready for take off.... (hopefully)

2019-02-12T18:21:00.001+07:00

Delayed flights is a common thing in aviation, but not this late :)

Well, as people always say, better late than never. Hopefully my blogs can really spread their wings and more importantly soaring high.

There have been so many news and development in the past while this blog was inactive.

At home, how the LCC are not so low-cost anymore as they started to use the ceiling price and charge for checked baggage. For popular routes, it is better to simply take the full service airlines. The LCC, however, may still rule in the routes less flown, especially to smaller towns or those linking secondary cities.

The aviation sector is also waiting for the fate of Airbus-Emirates deal on more orders for Airbus A380 jumbo jets. Will we soon see the demise of A380, the toppled King of the Sky?

A different story is for the Queen of the Sky who is celebrating her 50 years. It turned out to be that Boeing 747 and I share the same birthweek and not that many years apart. (ouch..... I am getting old, soon).

Another attempt

2015-03-27T22:13:00.001+07:00

After being abandoned for quite some time, I will try to revive this blog. Finger crossed.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines' Xian MA-60 at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. Taken on June 10, 2011.

Pesawat kitiran aka baling-baling

2013-10-13T19:00:00.000+07:00

Banyak orang di Indonesia yang tidak mau naik pesawat kitiran atau baling-baling dengan alasan "pesawatnya kecil", "guncangannya terasa sekali" dan beribu satu alasan lainnya.

Yang paling kacau adalah alasan teknologi pesawat baling2 sudah kuno dan ketinggalan zaman.

Kalau alasannya karena takut goncangan sih masih bisa dimaklumi karena pesawat kitiran rata2 kecil sehingga lebih rentan terkena guncangan atau turbulensi seperti misalnya kelas Cessna 172 atau NC-212. Tapi toh ada juga pesawat baling-baling yang sebesar "Gaban" seperti C-130 Hercules dan A-400M Atlas.

Kalau dipikir2 lagi, sebagian orang yang "menolak" naik pesawat kitiran adalah orang2 yang sombong karena hanya mau naik pesawat jet. Kenapa sombong? Karena mereka hanya tahu kota besar yang memiliki bandara besar yang dapat didarati oleh pesawat jet.

Mereka tidak tahu bahwa tidak semua bandara di Indonesia dapat didarati oleh pesawat jet dan bagaimana peaswat baling2 yang kecil itu telah menghubungkan berbagai kota dan daerah terpencil di Indonesia dengan pusat2 keramaian.

Semua jenis pesawat sudah ada peruntukannya, mulai dari yang kecil mungil sampai yang raksasa.

2012-04-27T23:12:00.004+07:00

RBA on flight training

2012-04-27T23:08:00.001+07:00

C295 or NC295 or CN295 at HLP

Aft starboard view

Ready to fly again

2012-04-27T17:52:00.000+07:00

Requesting permission to take off.

Merpati Nusantara Airline's MA-60 at HLP.

Bloomberg reported that Brazil seeks Embraer order from fighter jet supplier

2010-05-26T15:58:00.002+07:00

Indonesia harus bisa meniru Brazil dalam soal penanganan akuisisi sistem persenjataan sehingga tidak merugikan industri dalam negeri. Brazil mensyaratkan pembelian 12 pesawat angkut jet Embraer KC-390 untuk pembelian 36 pesawat tempur yang sedang dalam proses tender. Ini baru offset tingkat tinggi.

Berikut laporannya dari Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aA31lkXXe2oY

Dirgantara, GMF renew maintenance deal

2010-04-03T17:10:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

Replacing a 2003 agreement, the new agreement will be valid for three years and covers general maintenance, parts and components, tools and equipment, testing and laboratory services and engineering services.

The new agreement also deals with marketing, repairs, modifications, aircraft, components and systems overhaul, spare parts procurement, manufacturing services, IT, training and the utilization of facilities and other capabilities.

Richard said local repairs and overhaul firms only absorbed around 30 percent of the total domestic aircraft maintenance spending - worth US$750 million in 2009. He expected this market to expand to around $2 billion by 2014.

Budi said Dirgantara had plenty of facilities that could be used by GMF, including a surface treatment facility certified by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractor Program, which could reduce GMF's dependence on foreign parties. - JP

First published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, April 3, 2010

GMF receives EASA rating for Airbus A320

2010-03-09T17:20:00.000+07:00

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Emirates to fly twice daily from Jakarta

2010-02-24T16:28:00.000+07:00

Nani Afrida and Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based airline Emirates is set to launch twice daily flights from Jakarta to Dubai starting March 1.

"The launch of the double daily flight between Jakarta and Dubai is Emirates' response to increasing demand from both business and leisure travelers," Emirates' Indonesia country manager Mohamed Al Nahari said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Al Nahari said in 2009 the airlines flew the route 11 times a week.

He said the additional flights would increase capacity by more than 2,600 seats per week, to bring weekly capacity up to 12,000 seats.

Using Boeing the 777 jetliner, Emirates has 42 business-class seats and 385 to 400 economy-class seats depending on aircraft type.

Emirates flights EK 356 and EK 358 depart Dubai at 4:40 a.m. and 10:25 a.m. respectively. Flights EK 357 and EK 359 leave Jakarta at 5:45 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. respectively.

Emirates sales manager Ilonka Leiwakabessy said the airline was aiming to serve a new corporate travel market in addition to haj and umrah (minor haj) pilgrims.

"Corporate travelers are independent of events like pilgrimages. They can depart at any time," she said.

She said there was sales growth in 2009 without giving any figures.

Al Nahari said Emirates' double daily flight would support government plans to increase arrivals from Middle Eastern countries by up to 100,000 in 2010.

"We are delighted to be able to provide our passengers with a greater choice of flight options," he said.

Emirates will start four new routes including to Tokyo on March 28, Amsterdam on May 1, Prague on July 1 and Madrid on Aug. 1.

In the financial year ending Sept. 30, 2009, Emirates booked US$205 million in net profits.

Emirates announced Tuesday the appointment of PT VFS Services Indonesia, to set up a Dubai visa application and processing Center (DVPC), effective since January 2010.

"The partnership will offer benefits to our passengers who require a visa to enter Dubai. The passengers will get Dubai visas within a short time period of three to four working days," Al Nahari said.

"Passengers who use this service are not required to have local sponsors while staying in Dubai."

VFS head of operations Southeast Asia Bernard Vijaykumar said that the firm would be able to handle about 800 applicants a day.

"Visa applicants only need to submit copies of their passports with their documents and not the original ones," he said.

"This will allow applicants to apply for visas to other countries requiring original passports."

First published on The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010

Wings Air to expand network in western Indonesia

2010-02-23T16:42:00.001+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Regional airline Wings Air aims to expand its network in western Indonesia after opening new routes in the central and eastern part of the country recently.

“We will open new short routes in western Indonesia to lead the market in the next two year,” Wings Air director of general affairs Edward Sirait said Friday as reported by Antara news agency.

He said this would be made possible with the delivery by 2011 of 15 Franco-Italian ATR 72-500 twin turboprops out of a total order of 30 new aircraft.

Currently Wings Air operates one ATR 72-500 in western Indonesia with two others being
operated in the eastern and central parts of the country.

Wings Air also operates 2 Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft and 5 Boeing MD-80 aircraft.

The airline, a fully owned subsidiary of privately run Lion Air, started to serve the route linking Bandung in West Java with Yogyakarta on Friday, it said in a press statement issued Saturday.

During the opening ceremony at the Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, Wings Air also launched another route linking Yogyakarta with Surabaya in East Java.

Two other routes, linking Surabaya with Semarang in Central Java and Denpasar in Bali, were
also launched although these two routes started operation on Thursday.

Wings Air flight IW 1811 leaves Adisutjipto Airport in Yogyakarta at 12:05 P.M. and arrives in Husein Sastranegara Airport at 1:05 P.M. The aircraft returns to Yogyakarta as flight IW 1812 departing at 1:30 P.M. and arriving at 2:30 P.M.

The Bandung-Yogyakarta route has a one-way airfare of Rp 290,000 (US$31.16), said Wings Air director of general affairs Edward Sirait.

He said starting Saturday the aircraft with a capacity of 72 passengers would have a daily route of Semarang-Surabaya-Denpasar-Surabaya-Yogyakarta-Bandung-Yogyakarta-Surabaya- Denpasar-Surabaya-Semarang.

Edward was confident that the use of the Bandung-Yogyakarta sector would grow significantly.

“Both cities are known not only as business cities but also student cities and destinations for culinary tourism,” Edward told Antara news agency.

As for new routes, Edward said the airlines planned to link Bali with Labuan Bajo and Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara and Bima in West Nusa Tenggara.

Wings Air also plans to link the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan with Sibolga, in North Sumatra, and Lhokseumawe in Aceh.

Other new routes would include linking Medan with the secondary town of Gunungsitoli and Nias as well as Meulaboh in Aceh, and the Padang-Bengkulu route.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010

GMF secures contracts from Singapore Airshow

2010-02-17T17:06:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company PT GMF AeroAsia signed three contracts as a result of its participation at the Singapore Airshow earlier this month, the company said in a media release acquired by The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The contracts and deals under negotiation represent business opportunities worth $56.75 million.

GMF general marketing manager Sandi Yuliawan said the deals include a contract extension with cargo airline Cardig Air for maintenance services for its Boeing B737F.

“The contract is worth $4 million and without a time limit,” Sandi said in the release.

GMF, a subsidiary of flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, also signed maintenance cooperation contracts with the Indonesian Air Force and joint partnership deals with Aircelle and Triumph.

The cooperation with Aircelle worth $11 million, is for inspection, repair, overhaul and replacement work on the thrust reverser systems that equip Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines for Garuda’s fleet of Airbus A330 jetliners, Aircelle said in its web site.

“The 26-month agreement will ensure that thrust reversers used on Garuda A330s are up to the latest operational standards,” said Aircelle, which makes engine nacelles.

As for Triumph, GMF, will maintain the GTCP 131-9B auxiliary power units (APUs) of the Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft.

GMF was also in negotiation with Sriwijaya Air to maintain its fleet of eight Boeing 737 Classic, with Max Air of Nigeria for the maintenance of its six Boeing 747 wide body aircraft, and with Chinese Airlines for technical handling during line maintenance at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.

GMF was the only Indonesian company taking part in the air show although two charter airlines showcased some of their aircraft at static displays on behalf of the aircraft manufacturers.

Premiair showcased its Brazilian Embraer Legacy 600 business jet while Susi Air showed its Anglo-Italian AgustaWestland AW109S Grand helicopter, the American Cessna 208 Caravan and the Italian Piaggio Avanti II aircraft.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010

Garuda plans to develop secondary hubs, adds more routes

2010-02-05T18:08:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Singapore

Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia plans to develop secondary hubs in Indonesian major cities in addition to its major hubs in Jakarta and Denpasar as part of its Quantum Leap program.

The secondary hubs would include cities such as Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, Medan in North Sumatra, Surabaya in East Java and Makassar in South Sulawesi, Garuda’s president director Emirsyah Satar said Wednesday.

Speaking at the Singapore Airshow in Changi, he said the secondary hubs were to generate local or feeder traffic as part of Garuda’s efforts to expand new routes to strengthen its domestic network.

Other efforts include feeds to and from international routes, and domestic hub by-pass routes for mature markets, such as the Medan-Surabaya route, without stopping over in Jakarta.

“We also plan to develop flights from all provincial capitals to Jakarta,” he told reporters.

Garuda is aiming to increase the frequency of flights covering existing high density networks.

Emirsyah said the Indonesian domestic market still had room to grow in the world’s largest archipelago with some 230 million people.

“The domestic market is about 40 million passengers so there is still plenty of room to grow,” he said.

“Especially now that we have regional autonomy in which each region has more freedom to handle its own affairs.”

Garuda recorded 1,333 departures per week in 2008 and aims for 2,702 departures per week by 2014.

On international routes, Garuda had 338 departures in 2008 and plans for 1,222 per week in 2014.

Emirsyah said the airline plans to expand routes to include Hong Kong, India and ASEAN countries as well as opening European and American routes.

Garuda will fly to Amsterdam as of June 1 with other cities being considered, including Frankfurt, London and Paris as well as Los Angeles.

Emirsyah said Garuda would still focus on the Asia Pacific region saying it was where the economic activities were taking place nowadays.

Emirsyah also said Garuda was pursuing full membership of global airline alliance arrangements.

“We have support from KLM and Korean Air for membership of the SkyTeam alliance,” he said.

Garuda also aims to increase its fleet of aircraft from 54 in 2008 to 116 by 2014.

The airline will use Boeing 737-800 New Generation for domestic and regional routes, Airbus 330-200/300 for medium-haul and Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft for long haul routes.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Friday, Feb. 5, 2010

Garuda, IATA sign MoU on carbon emission cuts

2010-02-03T18:03:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Singapore

Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia signed Tuesday an MoU on reducing carbon emissions in the aviation sector with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The MoU on carbon offset was signed by Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar and IATA director general and CEO Giovanni Bisignani at IATA’s Green Pavilion on the first day of the 2010 Singapore Airshow at the Changi Convention Center.

Emirsyah said the MoU would enable passengers to decide whether or not to pay to cover their own the carbon footprint for their flight when booking online on the Garuda website. Once fully implemented, the program would allow passengers to calculate the compensation required, the volume of reduced CO2 emissions needed and available emission reduction activities.

Emirsyah said the airline and IATA had been talking on the carbon offset program since mid-2009. “Garuda is the 15th airlines to participate in the initiative,” he said.

IATA’s carbon offset program is a ready-to-use software which airlines can offer to their passengers to compensate for carbon emissions by contributing to carbon reduction projects in developing countries.

Bisignani said aviation contributes about 2 percent of total carbon emissions but IATA and the aviation sector in general were taking the issue seriously.

“It is not only IATA and airlines but also aircraft producers and engine makers who are working together to reduce emissions,” he told reporters after signing the MoU. He said there was a reduction of 7 percent of carbon emission in the aviation sector through various efforts in 2009.

Meanwhile, Garuda vice president for safety, security, and environment Capt. Novianto Heru Pratomo said the airline would work with IATA to find appropriate projects for the carbon offset initiative. He said Garuda previously had reforested some 250 hectares of forest in the Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan and another 250 hectares along the Arakundo River water basin in Aceh.

When asked whether Garuda would soon use biodiesel for its aircraft, Novianto said the use of biodiesel for commercial airlines was still at a trial stage.

Novianto explained that Garuda is modernizing aircraft cabins in its new Boeing 737-800 aircraft. All seats in both Executive and Economy Classes are being equipped with individual in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems.

Boeing senior vice president East and Southeast Asia sales, commercial airplanes, Robert K. Laird, claimed to reporters that Garuda is the only airline to equip all its Boeing 737 aircraft with IFE systems for all seats.

Laird said that was the reason why Boeing asked Garuda to display one its latest aircraft to represent Boeing’s commercial product in Singapore. Garuda officials said the new 737-800 is already operational in the Garuda fleet.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

Lion Air receives more new Boeing aircraft

2009-12-17T18:26:00.005+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian privately-owned airline Lion Air will soon be operating the first 30 Boeing 737-900ER out of the 178 aircraft it has ordered from the American aircraft maker, the airline said in statement recently.

Three aircraft, with registration numbers PK-LGM, PK-LGO, and PK-LGP have arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday while another one, PK-LGQ, is scheduled to arrive on Dec. 22 to augment the existing fleet of 26 aircraft of this type, the airlines said in a media release obtained by The Jakarta Post.

“The aircraft is designed for today’s air transport needs with longer range, faster, lower noise, more environmentally friendly and more economical,” the airline said.

“The aircraft is equipped with [electronic] devices allowing it to have higher landing accuracy, a better all-weather radar system and deployment of winglets to increase stability and fuel efficiency.”

Lion Air’s Boeing 737-900ER aircraft is configured to carry 220 passengers in an optimum single-class layout.

The airlines said it chose the aircraft for its range of 3,200 nautical miles or 5,900 kilometers.

The aircraft will be deployed to increase flight frequency on existing routes as well as to replace other types of aircraft.

Currently Lion Air operates MD-90s, Boeing 737-300s and 737-400s for domestic and regional routes as well as larger Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets for its route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. This makes Lion Air an all-Boeing operator.

For domestic routes, flight frequency on the Jakarta-Denpasar route will be increased to seven times daily, Jakarta-Surabaya will have 11 daily flights while the Jakarta-Medan route will fly 14 times daily.
Regionally, the Jakarta-Singapore route will be served six times daily.

“The new aircraft will also allow Lion Air to open new routes in the eastern part of Indonesia such as the Makassar-Luwuk, Makassar-Manokwari and Makassar-Sorong routes,” the airline said.

Meanwhile, Lion Air has successfully flown the Jakarta-Jeddah direct route daily since Nov. 7 making it the first Indonesian private airline to fly the route.

Lion Air claims a load factor of 96 percent for the route in the past two months.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009

Navy to get three CN-235 surveillance aircraft

2009-12-12T22:09:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Defense Ministry signed a contract Friday with state aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) to procure three CN-235-220 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) for the Navy to be delivered in two years.

The US$80 million contract was signed by PT DI president director Budi Santoso and the director general of defense facilities at the ministry Vice Marshal Eris Herryanto at the closing ceremony of a national workshop to revitalize the Indonesian defense industry.

Attending the ceremony were Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, State Minister for State Enterprises Mustafa Abubakar, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Djoko Santoso, and National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara.

The officials signed a joint agreement on using domestic defense industry products to fulfill TNI and National Police needs.

“We are committed to procure domestic weapon systems,” Purnomo said.

Meanwhile, Budi said in a media statement that the patrol aircraft had sensors to carry out surveillance and targeting missions. They are also ready for future anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

“The three aircraft are the first batch of six needed to fulfill a Minimum Essential Force concept while ideally the Navy should have 16 patrol aircraft,” he said.

Navy chief spokesman Commodore Iskandar Sitompul told The Jakarta Post the Navy currently was operating three smaller NC-212 MPA, procured from PT DI in 2007.

The Air Force also operates a CN-235-220 MPA similar to the Navy’s.

When asked whether there would be overlapping missions between the Navy and the Air Force, Navy chief of staff Vice Adm. Agus Suhartono said it was not the case.

“Our aircraft missions are more tactical such as for firing and acquiring target data [for our warships],” he told the Post at the sideline of the ceremony.

“Meanwhile, the Air Force missions are more strategic.”

Budi said while both Navy and Air Force versions used French-made Thales systems, they have different specifications.

“The Navy version is looking downward with its sensors on the belly of the aircraft while the Air Force version is looking upward with its sensors in the nose of the aircraft,” he told the Post.

“The Navy version is capable of, tracing small contacts on the sea surface such as the retracted periscope of a submarine, while the Air Force is capable of tracing aircraft.”

Budi said the Air Force’ CN-235-220 MPA managed to track an Australian P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft well inside Indonesian territorial waters during a test flight along Java’s southern coast.

He added another reason to have the French Thales system for the Navy’s patrol aircraft was so they could communicate with four Dutch-made SIGMA corvettes which are also using the Thales system.

PT DI is currently working on four CN-235-110 MPAs for the South Korean Coast Guard in a contract worth $96 million and is involved in upgrading Turkish CN-235s for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare roles in a contract worth $30 million.

Meanwhile, state shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with state oil and gas producer PT Pertamina to design, construct, maintain and repair vessels.

The MoU was signed by PAL president director Harsusanto and Pertamina president director Karen Agustiawan.

“It is Pertamina’s commitment to develop synergy between state-owned enterprises with a mutual benefits principle,” Karen said.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009

KLM, Garuda to resume deal

2009-10-02T15:50:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is ready to resume its interline agreement with Garuda Indonesia, after the Indonesian flag carrier was allowed back into European airspace.

The Air France KLM country manager for Indonesia, Axel Colen, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday the interline agreement with Garuda had been in place long before the latter was banned from European airspace after a slew of air accidents in Indonesia.

"Now that the ban has been lifted, we are ready to resume the agreement," he said.

"We still have to wait two to three weeks before we can fully implement it again, because we have to wait for some technical problems to be resolved."

Colen added both airlines were working to enable their ticketing systems "to talk to each other in issuing the e-tickets".

An interline agreement allows two airlines to have two different flights on one ticket, thus reducing the hassle for travelers.

"For example, a passenger can fly from Surabaya to Jakarta with Garuda, and then continue to fly to Amsterdam with KLM," Colen said.

"Each airline will still have its own code in each sector it serves."

Colen said it would different from the codeshare agreement, in which all codes belong to an airline, even if the passenger flies with partner airlines.

When asked when would KLM would ink a codeshare agreement with Garuda, Colen said it would be the second stage after the interline agreement.

"But KLM passengers will be able to enjoy Garuda's vast network already, even before the codeshare agreement is made," he said.

Colen was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference to commemorate the 85th anniversary of KLM's first intercontinental flight, from Amsterdam to Jakarta, at the time the world's longest scheduled route.

Also attending the conference were Marnix Fruitema, the Air France KLM senior vice president for Asia Pacific, and Paul Rombeek, the Air France KLM general manager for Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

That first flight on Oct. 1, 1924, only five years after KLM had been established, was made by a Fokker F-VII from Schiphol Airport.

The airplane was registered H-NACC and named Pelikaan.

In September 1929, the flight was made into a regular fortnightly service when the travel time was shortened to 12 days.

The service was then improved over time to a weekly and then twice-weekly flight.

KLM currently flies to route with a fleet of Boeing 737-200s and 777-300ERs in a time of 12 hours, with a short stop in Kuala Lumpur.

Fruitema said the Indonesian market had huge potential, adding Air France KLM would continue to invest and explore opportunities here, as well as improve its services.

"Expansion plans are always in our strategic outlook," he said at the press conference.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

Lion Air to refurbish Juanda airport's old terminal

2009-05-15T16:33:00.000+07:00

Achmad Faisal and Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Surabaya/Jakarta

Lion Airlines will invest Rp 300 billion (US$28.86 million) to develop facilities at the old terminal of Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java, which is owned by the Navy.

The strategy aims to expand the airline's market in eastern Indonesia, and boost maintenance efficiency.
Lion Air and the Navy signed Wednesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to rent part of the old terminal of some 100,000 square meters (sqm).
Lion Air president director, Rusdi Kirana, said aviation facilities to be developed included hangars, runways, a maintenance center and special gates for Lion Air passengers.
"If the infrastructure development can be done in 12 months, we will open flights connecting Surabaya with Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur," he said.
"We will build the maintenance center in an effort to reduce our fleet maintenance costs currently carried out in Jakarta and Singapore."
Navy chief of staff, Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, said the cooperation was an effort to optimize the utilization of Navy assets which became idle after the new Juanda International Airport started operation on Nov. 15, 2006.
Juanda Airport was opened on Feb. 7, 1964 as a naval air station which also served civilian flights.
As civilian flights grew, the airport management was handed over by the then defense and security ministry to the transportation ministry which in turn handed the management over to state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I on Jan. 1, 1985.
The new terminal is on the north side of the old terminal owned by the navy. The new terminal has a total area of 51,500 sqm, twice the size of the old terminal at 28,088 sqm.
The airport has a 3,000-meter runway.
Lion Air director for general affairs Edward Sirait told The Jakarta Post Thursday the airline was anticipating the possibility of growth in traffic such that the present terminal would not be able to accommodate all their airplanes at one time.
"This will cause inefficiencies as long queues to get a parking spot means burning more fuel," he said.
"That is why we are preparing the old terminal as an alternative for us."
Edward said cooperation with the Navy would provide a dedicated terminal for Lion Air in due time without preventing other interested airlines from sharing the facility. "We are also studying new routes linking Surabaya with cities in eastern Indonesia."
First published on The Jakarta Post on Friday, May 15, 2009

Lion Air to fly Jeddah direct, serving pilgrims, workers

2009-04-30T16:48:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesian airline Lion Air is to fly daily to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to serve migrant workers, tourists, business travelers and Muslim pilgrims - igniting a head-to-head competition with bigger rival Garuda Indonesia.

The new route was officially announced Wednesday by president director Rusdi Kirana at a media conference. The inaugural flight is set for June 28.

"The market is so huge we are not afraid about competition," he said.

"We are targeting a load factor of 85 to 90 percent."

Currently only the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and Saudi Airlines serve the route.

Aside from tourists and business markets the main demand is for pilgrims for haj and umrah (minor haj).

Rusdi added that Lion Air, which has secured all the required permits from both Saudi Arabian and Indonesian authorities, did not consider Garuda as their main competitor despite offering almost the same direct and full-services flights.

"For us, the competitors are foreign airlines bringing Indonesian passengers to the Middle East through third countries," he said.

Rusdi said up to 1 million Indonesians are estimated to reside in Saudi Arabia, mostly migrant workers.

The Jeddah route is Lion Air's first long-haul flight, but its fourth international route after Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

The airplane will fly from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 12:30 p.m. and arrived in Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport at 6 p.m. local time.

The return flight will depart at 8 p.m. local time and arrive at 9:30 a.m. Jakarta time.

"We offer a good schedule for the Jeddah route as it allows our passengers to connect with our more than 30 domestic routes easily," Rusdi said.

"This is what we can offer to our passengers, which cannot be offered by the foreign airlines."

Although Lion Air is known as a low-cost carrier for its domestic routes, Rusdi said the Jeddah route would be a full-service flight offering two meals and other amenities such as blankets and personal entertainment system, including for economy class seats.

"We have also prepared the human resources including 20 pilots, 160 flight attendants and 40 technicians," he said.

Two Boeing 747-400 airplanes will serve the route, with one of them providing back-up.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Haj and Umrah Organizers (Amphuri), Baluki Ahmad, welcomed the opening of the Jeddah route.

"The new flights will really help Muslims who want to perform umrah pilgrimages as there are more seats," he said over the phone.

Basuki said about 210,000 Indonesian made the haj pilgrimage in 2008 while another 120,000 Indonesians made the umrah pilgrimage.

Jeddah serves as the main entry and exit gate for international pilgrims.

This is due to its proximity to Islam's two holiest cities, Mecca and Medina, where millions of Muslims from all over the world make pilgrimages every year.

The United States Export-Import Bank has recently approved more than US$1 billion in financing for Lion Air to improve passenger fleets, generate business and create jobs in Indonesia.

The financing will allow the airline to access $238 million to purchase new Boeing 737-900ER planes and provide preliminary authorization for another $841 million, for a total of 30 new passenger jets.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Thursday, April 30, 2009

Paperless Aussie airplane impounded in Merauke

2008-09-15T10:10:00.000+07:00

Nethy Dharma Somba and Novan Iman Santosa
The Jakarta Post, Jayapura/Jakarta

An Australian airplane has been impounded at Mopah Airport in Merauke, Papua, since Friday for entering Indonesia without proper documents, officials told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The twin piston P-68 airplane, registration VH-PFP, flew out from Horn Island, Australia, and landed in Mopah Airport at about 11:28 a.m. local time (9:28 a.m. Jakarta time) without flight approval or security clearance.

Mopah Airport administrator Herson said the airplane was a charter flight carrying tourists.

"The airplane has been impounded at Mopah Airport because it has violated regulations for entering our territory. (Its operators) will be fined," he told the Post by telephone.

"The passengers said they were planning to visit Merauke for sightseeing."

The airplane was manned by pilot William Henry Scott Bloxam and co-pilot Vera Scott Bloxam. The three passengers are Hubert Hofer, Karen Burke and Keith Rowald Mortimer.

The crew and passengers are currently being held in isolation at Hotel Asmat because the airport does not have an isolation room.

Herson said the airport had coordinated with the Australian Embassy to process all the necessary documents.

"Once they have all the required documents, we will release the airplane," he said.

"But we will still charge a fine based on its weight."

The chief of Merauke Immigration Office, Fredy Manus, told reporters the crew and passengers had passports with them but no visas.

"We are still isolating the crew and passengers while waiting for the results of an investigation by the air transportation directorate general and the Indonesian Military over the paperless aircraft," he said.

Fiona Hoggart of the Australian Embassy said in a telephone interview the embassy was aware of the case and was providing consular assistance.

Indonesian Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Chaeruddin Ray, said the aircraft belonged to Cape Air Transport, based in Cooktown in northern Australia.

Chaeruddin said the crew had submitted a flight plan from Australia to Merauke, but were unable to produce the required documents when asked.

"They then claimed they landed in Merauke for emergency reasons," he told the Post by telephone.

"How can they say it was an emergency landing while in fact the flight plan put Merauke as the destination?"

Chaeruddin said landing without the proper documentation was permissible under some circumstances, including emergency landings.

"But again, the flight plan has Merauke as the destination so this was not an emergency landing," he said.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Monday, Sept. 15, 2008

An ideal airport for airplane lovers

2008-09-14T16:03:00.000+07:00

Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Paris

The glass wall in the departure lounge at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport faces the apron, giving aviation enthusiasts ample opportunity to watch planes take off and land. (JP/Novan Iman Santosa)

It was early morning in September when my airplane made its final approach to Paris -- it was still dark outside so the city lights were clearly visible.

I was aboard an Air France Boeing 777-300ER, which had flown out of Singapore and was about to touch down at the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport in Roissy, on the outskirts of Paris. I noticed another airplane was about to take off on the port side, but unfortunately I had sat on an aisle seat so I couldn't take a closer look to examine what aircraft and airline it was.

This is a fun thing for me, to land at an airport with parallel runways so you can see other airplanes taking off or landing.

This might be a good omen of what is to come.

Shopaholics may praise Changi or Dubai as a shopping paradise but CDG -- the airport code according to the International Air Transport Association -- provides a feast for the eyes.

Aviation enthusiasts love to visit airports to watch planes taxiing, taking off and landing, both at home and abroad.

Airplane lovers surely wouldn't miss the chance to visit CDG as it provides plenty of spots to take pictures of their favorite airlines and airplanes -- both inside and outside.

A major outdoor landmark surely not to be missed is none other than the Air France Concorde just outside the Hilton Hotel CDG in Roissypole.

The hotel is a strategic place to stay in the airport compound as it is also next to Terminal 3 (T3) which is dedicated to budget airlines.

Another plus is that is faces the taxiway linking northern runways with the southern.

Early September is a good time to visit as the sun shines for quite a long time, not setting until as late as 9:30 p.m., and the weather is fine.

Even if you don't stay at the pricey Hilton Hotel, the spot is still easy to get to if you go via the Regional Express Network (RER) urban rail network. Take the RER B line and exit at the Charles de Gaulle 1 station. From there it's within walking distance.

While an urban rail network is somewhat a requirement for major airports this days, it's not necessarily needed for fast intercity trains.

If you prefer to travel by land to other French cities such as Avignon or Toulouse (ah ... Toulouse, another must-visit with its Airbus assembly plant), then go the Charles de Gaulle 2 station and simply walk to the TGV bullet station.

Inside the terminals, Satellite 3 or S3 offers perhaps the best view of the airport's southern parallel runways and adjacent taxiways.

While most boarding lounges and waiting rooms only face the apron or faraway runways, S3 gives an unobstructed view of the runways and taxiways thanks to its glass-wall enclosure.

Inaugurated on June 26, 2007, Air France is starting to use S3 as its main hub together with airline members of the Sky Team.

Built by Aeroports de Paris at about 650 million euros, the complex is the first phase in a series of innovations that will significantly improve hub operations for Air France.

The airline itself has spent about 32 million euros constructing a lounge in S3.

The name could be somehow confusing, though. Officially it is called the Satellite 3 Boarding Lounge at Terminal 2E of Charles de Gaulle Airport.

There is not however, a S1 or S2 in the airport although S4 is under construction. It is expected that S4 will be operational by 2012.

The airport itself has three terminals. Terminal 1 (T1) is the oldest, Terminal 2 (T2) is the newest part of the airport and T3 is dedicated for low-cost airlines.

T2 itself is not a huge, singular terminal but is comprised of six halls, named 2A to 2F with S3 on the eastern side of both 2E and 2F halls. S4 is being constructed further east from S3 and is separated with an apron.

Air France calls the new boarding lounge the backbone of its hub promising a waiting time of less than two hours for about 20,000 connecting flights every week.

As most major airports all over the world prepare for the Airbus A380 superjumbo, the S3 boasts its two-level aerobridges, the first of its kind.

Other airports use single-level aerobridges to reach both the upper and lower decks of this gargantuan flying machine.

Each of S3's boarding gates will have three aerobridges -- two for the lower deck and one for the upper deck.

There will be six of these gates in S3 while the future S4 will have four.

Air France is slated to receive its Airbus A380 super jumbo jetliners in 2009 with flights linking Paris with Tokyo and Singapore.

The waiting time may be just under two hours for those with connecting flights but that does not prevent Air France from providing all the amenities to its travelers.

In addition to watching airplanes taxiing, taking off and landing, passengers -- especially the young ones or young at hearts -- can kill time with PlayStation consoles or get the latest info on their destination through PCs connected to the Internet.

Snacks and beverages on offer as well as free internet connectivity are just some of the conveniences long-haul travellers enjoy in the comfy business lounge.(JP/Novan Iman Santosa)Other than staring at airplanes or PlayStation monitors, passengers do have the chance to shop.

While waiting to board their flight, children (and adults) can play a quick game on the PlayStation consoles in the departure lounge. (JP/Novan Iman Santosa)They can, for example, roam La Galerie Parisienne, a mall built by Aeroports de Paris with 3,200 square meters of shops and 1,400 square meters of bars and restaurants with a view of the ... runways!

For business class passengers, there is a 2,600-square-meter lounge with a seating capacity for 700.

As S3 was fully operational on March 30, it provides an additional number of gate-parked long-haul flights at T2 from 52 percent to 80 percent.

Gate-parked means an aircraft is parked directly at the gate allowing for a faster boarding process through the aerobridge compared to remote parking stands requiring passengers to be transported by ground vehicle before boarding an airplane.

The increase in gate-parked aircraft is due to a flexible arrangement of gate configurations from 11 long-haul and eight medium-haul flights to four long-haul and 22 medium-haul flights.

This configuration of between 19 to 26 gate parking stands depends on the type of flight handled, long- or medium-haul.

Other than Air France, the S3 boarding lounge is also used by members of the Sky Team: Aeroflot, AeroMexico, China Southern, Delta, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines.

As the airport is still undergoing expansion, hard core planespotters should consider CDG Airport a main destination before all open spaces are filled in.

Oh -- and one more thing. Dedicated airplane buffs should also visit the nearby historical Le Bourget Airport where the Le Bourget Salon is held every other year on the odd years. The smaller airport also houses the French Museum of Air and Space.

Alas, my schedule was so tight I didn't have the chance to visit although I did make a stop at the Le Bourget RER station.

Who knows -- maybe one day I can return and make a pilgrimage to Le Bourget and Toulouse.

The writer was invited by Air France to visit Charles de Gaulle Airport's S3 for a familiarization trip

First published on The Jakarta Post on Monday, Sept. 14, 2008

France to lure more RI tourists

2008-09-04T10:15:00.001+07:00

France is expecting more Indonesian tourists as the tourism board and the private sector, including airlines and retailers, step up efforts to promote the European country.

Maison de la France, or the French Tourism Board, for example, recently launched a sales kit into the Southeast Asian market so that travel agents can better sell France.

"We expect travel agents can use this kit to give detailed information to prospective guests," the board's Southeast Asia director, Frederic Meyer, told The Jakarta Post recently.

Meyer was speaking during a tour, which also included Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, where professionals from France met with their Southeast Asian counterparts in order to better sell France.

The workshop with media was held Thursday, while the meeting with travel professionals was held Friday.

In another effort of the French to tap into the Indonesian market, Galeries Lafayette has just launched a map of Paris in Indonesian.

"I have just got the maps from the printers. This maps will be distributed by travel agents to guests who are leaving for France," said marketing and promotion manager Asia Caroline de Maisonneuve.

Both Meyer and de Maisonneuve said it was quite difficult to track the number of Indonesians visiting France due to the presence of the Schengen visa scheme.

"But we know that there at least 13,000 to 14,000 visa requests per year, so there could be some 40,000 Indonesians visiting France," Meyer said.

De Maisonneuve said it was also difficult to track the number of Indonesians visiting Galeries Lafayette stores because there was no specific records unless customers used credit cards or applied for tax deductions.

Gerda Lascombe, international sales manager of Printemps department store, estimated that Indonesians ranked 15th on the number of guests visiting the up-scale establishments.

"The Indonesian average spending is some 500 euros, but this is only from recorded transactions," she said.

"We cannot track those paying in cash and not applying for tax deductions."

The tour also brought representatives from Rail Europe 4A, a joint venture of French and Swiss national railways, and Air France KLM.

Air France does not have a direct route linking Paris with Jakarta, but there is a daily flight to and from Bangkok and Singapore. Another option is using sister company KLM serving Jakarta with Amsterdam via Kuala Lumpur.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008

Bodies spotted at crash site

2008-06-28T21:45:00.000+07:00

Theresia Sufa and Wahyoe Boediwardhana

The Jakarta Post, Bogor/Malang

Passengers of an Air Force aircraft that crashed on Mount Salak are feared dead, with locals who found the wreckage saying Friday they had seen bodies around the crash site.

The remains of the 1984 Casa light transport airplane, which was carrying 18 passengers including three foreign nationals and some high-ranking officers, was found in a gorge in Tenjolaya district in Bogor, West Java, about 60 kilometers south of Jakarta.

The plane took off from Halim Perdanakusumah Air Base in East Jakarta at 9:23 a.m. on Thursday, and contact was lost at 10:28 a.m., deputy chief of staff Vice Marshal I Gusti Made Oka said.

Five crew members were among the passengers on the NC-212 aircraft series 200.

A local resident, Hari, told Metro TV the aircraft had "split in two". Villagers reported seeing body parts as well as aircraft debris.

Officers said that although pilots had spotted the debris, evacuation of the aircraft and victims would not begin until early Saturday because of heavy rain and the mountainous terrain.

Oka confirmed Friday that local residents had found the missing aircraft in Tegal Lilin hamlet in Pasir Gaok village.

He said he could not confirm whether there were any casualties.

"We are not sure of that yet although villagers said they saw bodies scattered around the airplane. Let's hope there is a miracle," he said.

The airplane was conducting an aerial surveillance training mission. The 13 passengers included seven officers, including those from the Air Force's aerial mapping and surveillance agency.

Six other passengers were civilians, including three foreign instructors from a firm supplying digital mapping. The foreign nationals were identified as a Briton, an Indian and a Singaporean.

Air Force chief spokesman Air Commodore Chaerudin Ray told The Jakarta Post the Air Force had deployed two Puma and two NBO-105 helicopters in the rescue mission and the national SAR agency had deployed one NBO-105 helicopter.

He said the airplane belonged to the 4th Squadron at the Abdulrachman Saleh Air Force Base in Malang, East Java.

The Air Force operations chief at the Abdurrahman Saleh Air Base in Malang, Col. Ismet Ismaya Saleh, said the plane had been in good condition for aerial mapping and had been in better condition than seven other similar aircraft at the air base.

Novan Iman Santosa contributed to this report from Jakarta.

First published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, June 28, 2008

Merpati places order with DI for 10 planes

2008-01-29T21:06:00.000+07:00

State-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines on Monday placed an order for ten C-212-400 light transport aircraft from state aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI).

Merpati president director Hotasi Nababan and DI president director Budi Santoso signed an agreement witnessed by State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan A. Djalil, Antara news agency reported.

The airplanes, to serve routes in eastern Indonesia especially Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara and Sulawesi, will be financed by state lenders Bank BRI and Bank BNI. Each bank will provide a loan of US$50 million.

Budi said the unit price had yet to be determined because the production facilities had yet to be sent from CASA-EADS facility in San Pablo, Spain to DI assembly plant in Bandung.

Separately, DI spokesman Rakhendi, said the cost of a standard C-212-400 was $US5.5 million.

"The cost will be increased if a customer requests additional features," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

The 26-seater C-212-400 is the latest version of the C-212 developed by CASA-EADS, a Spain-based unit of European Aeronautics Defense and Space (EADS).

Currently DI makes the older NC-212-200 version under license from CASA-EADS. The older version costs some $4.5 million.

"CASA-EADS and DI has signed a deal in 2006 transferring all production of C-212-400 to Bandung," Rakhendi said.

Once we receive the production facilities, we will start making C-212-400. Currently we are still finishing seven NC-212-200 planes."

First published on The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, January 29, 2008