Ailing state-owned PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines (Merpati) plans to take
delivery of 20 Airbus A320s next year in order to boost its business.
Merpati
corporate secretary Herry Saptanto said that the new aircraft would be
used to support the airline’s existing routes, and to reopen one-fifth
of the company’s routes that were temporarily closed in mid-2012, such
as the Jakarta–Bandung route.
“We expect to operate the first Airbus in the first quarter of 2013 and gradually increase our frequency,” Herry told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
“By operating more aircraft, we believe Merpati will be healthier and able to transport more people in Indonesia in the future.”
He said that the firm would collaborate with China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC) to operate the aircraft with a profit sharing scheme. The two companies signed an agreement in September, which would be effective for five years.
“The planes belong to CALC but Merpati is the party who operates them because we have the routes and crews. Through this agreement, we plan to operate CALC’s 60 aircraft, including the Embraer E145 series,” Herry said.
Merpati expects to take delivery of two aircraft every month as of early 2013.
The airline currently has 21 aircraft operating on a daily basis, including eight Boeing 737s, 11 MA-60s and two CASA C-212s.
However, he declined to provide any data regarding improvements made by the airline since it began its massive restructuring process at the beginning of this year.
The debt-ridden airline received a Rp 561 billion (US$58.34 million) loan from the State Asset Management Company (PPA) on Dec. 30, 2011, to help it pay off its debts.
Last year, its total debt reached Rp 264.2 billion, most of which was owed to state-owned oil and gas firm, PT Pertamina, for fuel.
In addition, Herry said that the airline would provide 5,200 additional seats from Dec. 20 to 25 for its Jakarta–Surabaya and Manado–Jayapura routes in anticipation of the surge in demand during the upcoming holiday period.
He predicted that many passengers would return to their hometowns from Dec. 22.
“We will also use the holiday momentum to open new routes connecting Manado to Makassar and Makassar to Jayapura,” Herry continued.
The Manado–Makassar route will be introduced on Dec. 20 with flights on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays every week.
Similar to the Manado–Makassar route, Merpati will provide three flights a week for the Makassar–Jayapura route, every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
“We are going to open the [Makassar–Papua] route on Dec. 21. The new routes are the answer to demands from our customers in eastern Indonesia,” he said.