TheJakartaPost
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Newcomers push into buoyant aviation market
Unencumbered by debt, newcomers Raindo United Services, Pelita Air and Super Air Jet are taking advantage of high demand and limited supply in the recovering industry.
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An illustration of a Raindo United Services plane taking off from an airport. (Raindo United Services/-)
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ew airlines have emerged to capitalize on the rebound of the domestic and regional aviation industry as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Without any "historical baggage", they can be more flexible in their operations than established carriers but must address the issue of brand awareness, analysts say.
Raindo United Services (RUS) announced on Tuesday that it would launch scheduled cargo services in July.
It has two Boeing 737-800BCF planes to fly domestic and international routes involving the Indonesian cities of Jakarta, Medan, Balikpapan, Makassar and Surabaya, along with Singapore, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.
The start-up airline was founded by Benny Rustanto, the former director of commercial and cargo services at Garuda Indonesia subsidiary Citilink, along with Muhammad Surya, Dodi Abdul Kadir, Bambang Sujatmiko, Yudhi Fadjari, Febiantori and Hans Nugroho.
RUS follows in the footsteps of other new airlines that launched operations during the pandemic.
Super Air Jet, which is backed by Lion Air cofounder Rusdi Kirana, started up in March 2021. A year later, Pertamina subsidiary Pelita Air launched commercial flights after previously focusing on charter flights since 1963.
