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Garuda keen to take over Merpati's pioneer flight service in Papua
Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has expressed its interest in taking over one of Merpatiâs pioneer flight services in Papua offered by the Transportation Ministry
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ndonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has expressed its interest in taking over one of Merpati's pioneer flight services in Papua offered by the Transportation Ministry.
'We are exploring the possibility of taking over Merpati's route from Sorong to Timika,' Garuda Indonesia sales and marketing director Erik Maijer said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.
The financially troubled Merpati stopped operations in February due to mounting debts, which had reached Rp 6.7 trillion (US$577.7 million).
Erik said most pioneer routes were usually served by small airplanes, each with a capacity of 18 passengers.
However, he said, Garuda Indonesia does not currently have any small-sized airplanes.
'We don't have any smaller airplanes. Our smallest airplane has a capacity of 70 passengers. The Sorong-Timika route is the only possible option,' he said.
Garuda is one of the five airline companies expressing an interest in taking over 19 routes in Papua from Merpati. The other four are Sriwijaya Air, Citilink, Kalstar and Express. (put)
