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Garuda returns Bombardiers, leaves holes in eastern Indonesian flight routes
Garuda previously used various types of aircraft to cover domestic routes in the eastern part of Indonesia. However, the Transportation Ministry stated other airlines are also welcomed to maintain connectivity in the region.
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President director of PT Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra (right) gives an explanation about the aircraft to PT Putra Perkasa Abadi (PPA) president director Christianto Setyo (left) after signing the aircraft charter service agreement at the GMF AeroAsia Hangar Soekarno Hatta Airport, Tangerang, Banten on Aug. 13, 2020. In this collaboration, Garuda Indonesia will use Boeing 737-800 and Bombardier CRJ-1000 aircraft to serve the transportation of PT Putra Perkasa Abadi mining workers to a number of areas such as Surabaya, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Semarang, Yogyakarta and Samarinda. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal) (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
T
he government is on the hunt for substitute aircraft to accommodate flight routes in the east Indonesian region, following Garuda Indonesia’s decision to return 18 Bombardier CRJ-1000 fleets to their lessor.
Garuda previously used various types of aircraft to cover domestic routes in the eastern part of the archipelagic country. However, the Transportation Ministry stated that other airlines are also welcomed to maintain connectivity in the region.
Beside the national-flag carrier, Sriwijaya Group and Lion Group also serve the eastern routes, whether via direct flights or transits.
As for the aircraft types to cover the region, the ministry said it depends on the capacity of the airports run by Scheduled Commercial Air Transport Business Entity.
Acting Director General of Civil Aviation of the Transportation Ministry Nur Isnin noted connectivity in the eastern part of Indonesia could still be maintained by airlines’ synergy.
Therefore, he added, even if Garuda returns the Bombardier fleets to their lessor, other carriers could still substitute.
“With the return of Garuda’s CRJ aircraft, flight routes that were previously served using [Garuda’s] CRJs can still be served with other types of aircraft, namely ATR, A320 and even B733,” he said on Monday.
