Garuda told to temporarily hire Merpati pilots
Irawaty Wardany, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 07/26/2011 6:27 PM
A high official suggests the flag carrier Garuda Indonesia should temporarily hire Merpati pilots to anticipate the massive strike planned by Garuda pilots on July 28.
“Garuda is currently hiring seven out of 15 Merpati pilots; there are still seven or eight more that could be hired,” Minister of State Enterprises, Mustafa, said on Tuesday.
Garuda aims to increase the size of its fleet to 154 airplanes from its current 80 aircraft ahead of the commencement of the ASEAN Open Sky 2015 policy.
The flag carrier is now locked in a dispute with its national pilots, who are protesting against the management over receiving lower salaries compared to their foreign counterparts.
Commenting on the conflict, Mustafa said he expected they could settle the problem soon.
