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ational flag carrier Garuda Indonesia plans to take a delivery of new high-capacity wide-bodied aircraft to serve Indonesian haj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in the future, so that it will no longer have to lease aircraft every haj season.

President director Emirsyah Satar said the airline is currently conducting a feasibility study to see whether it makes sense to get Boeing B747-8 Intercontinental or Airbus A380 aircraft.

Emirsyah said the airline was weighing the options and would eventually pick one that rendered more benefits and efficiency.

The B747-8I is a development of the B747 that takes advantage of improvements in technology and aerodynamics. The world’s longest passenger airliner could carry up to 467 passengers, with 26 percent more cargo volume than the B747-400-type.

It is also said to be quieter and more fuel-efficient compared to the B747-400s.

Meanwhile, the A380 is the world’s largest passenger aircraft and can carry 525 passengers.

However, Emirsyah said that the company did not set a time frame for a decision because they also had to think about how to integrate the aircraft into its scheduled services other times of the year, outside of haj season.

This year, Garuda flew 112,683 pilgrims to Mecca over a three-month period from 10 major cities across the country.

Garuda chartered 15 aircraft from Europe and the US that included one B767, three B747s, and 11 A330-300s, on short-term wet-leases to supplement the haj operations.

Garuda alone has two B747-400s to serve its long-haul routes from Jakarta–Amsterdam and Jakarta–Jeddah.

According to Emirsyah, Garuda booked around US$204 million in revenue from haj service this year.

In addition, the airline’s financial director Handrito Hardjono said that the company plans to issue bonds worth at least US$200 million next year to help finance its expansion.

Handrito said the issuance will comprise of dollar and rupiah denominated bonds. “We have not decided the composition of the bonds. But, I think they will be issued in the same size, 50 percent in dollars and 50 percent in rupiah,” he said.

He said the company plans to issue the bonds in the second semester of 2013.

However, he refused to provide any other details about the bonds, such as the tenor and coupon.

He also said that Garuda Indonesia’s subsidiary focusing on aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business GMFAeroAsia plans to float its shares on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) next year.

“GMF is ready to carry IPO [initial public offering] in the second half of 2013 at the soonest,” he said. GMF expects to raise up to Rp 1 trillion from the IPO.