Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Aviation

  • Saudi Arabian Airlines Plans to Increase Flights to Indonesia

    Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Jeddah-based flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, plans to increase its flight frequency to Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta from 14 flights to 18 flights per week. According to Marwan M. Altoumah, Saudi Airlines' Area Manager for Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand, demand for flights between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia is on the rise and therefore the airline wants to cater this demand. By the end of the year, Saudi Arabian Airlines intends to submit its request for additional flights to Jakarta and Surabaya.

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  • GVK to Develop New International Airport in Yogyakarta

    India-based conglomerate GVK is ready to invest USD $500 million as part of its commitment to develop a new international airport in Yogyakarta. Karthi Gajendran, President of Airport Development at GVK, said the company sees great potential in the construction of a new airport in Temon (Kulo Progo) near the coastal line in the Indonesian province of Yogyakarta. GVK will create a joint venture with Indonesian state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura I later this year to develop the new airport.

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  • Air France and Kuwait Airways Scrap Flights to Indonesia

    Two international airlines will (temporarily) scrap flights to the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, located just outside Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta. French flag carrier Air France and Kuwait's national airline Kuwait Airways announced to stop flying to Indonesia's busiest airport starting from 28 March 2016. Reasons behind this decision are sluggish demand for flights to Jakarta, fleet rotation, and Garuda Indonesia's joining of the SkyTeam in March 2014.

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  • Economic Policy Package Indonesia: Bonded Zones & Import Tax Cut

    The second installment of Indonesia's September economic policy package, unveiled on Tuesday (29/09), received a warmer response from market participants compared to the first one (released on 9 September), evidenced by rebounding stocks and a stronger rupiah rate yesterday. Indonesia's latest policy package involves interest rate tax cuts for exporters, the speeding up of investment licensing for investment in industrial estates, and a relaxation of taxes on imports of capital goods in industrial estates and in the aviation industry.

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  • Indonesia’s ‘Traditional’ Forest Fires & Haze Disrupt Commercial Flights

    Indonesia and Malaysia are again plagued by a traditional haze caused by forest fires in Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan). The thick haze resulted in the cancellation of various commercial flights at the local airports in Jambi (Sumatra) and Surabaya (Java). Furthermore, it was reported that in parts of Malaysia an unhealthy air quality was recorded.

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  • Volcano Eruption Mount Raung Causes Shutdown Indonesian Airports

    In Indonesia, authorities temporarily closed down operations at five airports, including international airport Ngurah Rai in Denpasar on Indonesia’s tourist hotspot Bali. This decision was made due to the eruption of Mount Raung (located in East Java). The volcano’s level of activity has increased over the past seven days and is now spewing ash and debris high into the air, jeopardizing the safety of air passengers. Due to the shutdown of the five airports, it is estimated that thousands of travelers have been affected.

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  • Indonesia AirAsia: Shares of AirAsia Berhad Plunge after Suspension Threat

    After Indonesian authorities threatened to suspend the operating license of the Indonesian unit (Indonesia AirAsia) of Malaysia’s budget carrier AirAsia, shares of the latter (AirAsia Berhad) on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange plunged over 12 percent on Wednesday morning (08/07). Indonesia AirAsia is among 13 Indonesian airlines that were found to have negative equity and were ordered by the Indonesian Transportation Ministry to turn this positive before 31 July 2015 in order to retain their operating licenses.

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  • Aviation Indonesia: Military Plane Crash in Medan (North Sumatra)

    On Tuesday (30/06), an Indonesian military airplane (C-130 Hercules) crashed into a densely populated residential area in the city of Medan in North Sumatra. The aircraft, en route from the military airport in Medan to Tanjung Pinang (capital of Indonesia's Riau Islands), crashed shortly after take-off and probably carried 122 people. A government spokesman said that at least 141 people have died. This figure is likely to rise. According to local media, the pilot of the military aircraft requested to return to base due to engine trouble.

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  • Indonesia AirAsia Plans IPO on Indonesia Stock Exchange & Bonds

    Budget airline Indonesia AirAsia, the local unit of Malaysia's AirAsia and one of the world's leading low-cost carriers, seeks to collect up to USD $250 million over the next two years through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) as well as the issuance of convertible bonds. The company aims to raise around USD $110 million worth of convertible bonds (which will have a low coupon rate with a 2-year maturity), while the IPO (which is scheduled for 2017) is expected to generate about USD $150 million.

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  • Garuda Indonesia May Cancel Direct Flights between Jakarta & Amsterdam

    State-controlled national airline Garuda Indonesia may need to stop direct flights between Jakarta and Amsterdam (The Netherlands) because the runway of Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport does not meet required safety standards. Airport operator Angkasa Pura II recently decreased the airport’s pavement classification number (PCN) as the surface of the runway is not strong enough to accommodate wide-body Boeings that take off while being fully loaded with passengers and fuel.

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Latest Columns Aviation

  • Investment Projects on Offer in Indonesia: Airport Development & Management

    Angkasa Pura I, the state-owned firm that provides airport management services in the central and eastern region of Indonesia, offers foreign and domestic private investors the opportunity to operate and develop several airports (in cooperation with Angkasa Pura I) across Indonesia: the Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport in Sepinggan (Balikpapan, Kalimantan), Lombok Praya Airport on Lombok, and - in the pipeline - Kulon Progo Airport in Yogyakarta (Java).

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  • Ban on Indonesia's Airlines Entering US Airspace Lifted

    Good news for Indonesia's aviation industry and Indonesian airlines. After a nearly decade-long ban, the US aviation regulator (Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA) finally allows Indonesian airlines to enter US airspace again. The ban was imposed in 2007 due to safety concerns. The FAA announced on Monday (15/08) that the safety status of Indonesia's aviation industry was upgraded by one notch to category 1. This opens doors for Indonesian airlines to serve flight routes to the USA as well as code shares with US airlines.

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  • Outrage on Lion Air Strike, What are the Reliable Indonesian Airlines?

    The spotlights are again turned on low-cost carrier Lion Air, Indonesia's largest privately-held airline that controls about 40 percent of the air passenger market in Indonesia. The airline, owned by Rusdi Kirana (one of the richest Indonesians), has again disappointed thousands of passengers due to delayed flights. This time flight delays were caused by Lion Air pilots going on strike. It is worth to zoom in on this case and to take a look at which Indonesian airlines are most reliable in terms of departure punctuality.

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  • Garuda Indonesia & Citilink Seek Global & Domestic Expansion

    Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, the nation's top class airline, targets to fly 27.5 million people in 2016, up 10 percent year-on-year (y/y) from the airline's total number of air passengers last year. Passenger growth is supported by the arrival of five new wide-body airplanes in 2016. The company, listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange but majority-owned by the Indonesian government (60.6 percent), is particularly eager to boost the number of international passengers.

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  • Indonesia's 8th Stimulus Package: Import Tax, Oil Refineries & One-Map Policy

    On Monday (21/12) the government of Indonesia unveiled its eight economic stimulus package. This latest edition of the series of packages - all aimed at boosting economic growth - involves three policies. Firstly, the scrapping of import taxes on 21 categories of airplane spare parts. Secondly, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for the development of oil refineries. Thirdly, the central government will streamline and harmonize land-acquisition for infrastructure development across the country through the new "one-map policy".

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  • Aviation Industry Indonesia: ASEAN Open Skies, Challenges & Opportunities

    In line with the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the end of the year, the ASEAN Open Skies policy (also known as the ASEAN Single Aviation Market) should become fully effective later this year. The ASEAN Open Skies policy, a key component of the AEC, involves the multilateral agreement of all ten ASEAN countries to unite their skies into a single aviation market (hence liberalizing rules and regulations to a large degree) in a bid to boost the region’s economic growth.

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  • Negative Equity: Indonesian Airlines’ Operating Permits May Be Suspended

    While Indonesia is still mourning for the lives that were lost in the military plane crash in Medan (North Sumatra) on Tuesday (30/06), the Indonesian Transportation Ministry threatens to suspend operating permits of 13 Indonesian airlines that are being plagued by negative equity, raising concerns about these airlines’ safety practices. The Transportation Ministry reviewed audited financial reports of 60 local carriers. These airlines will have time until 31 July 2015 to adjust their balance sheets.

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  • Aviation Industry Indonesia: Air Passenger Traffic Growth is Slowing

    The number of air passengers in Indonesia will most likely fail to meet its growth target in 2014. Based on government data, the number of air passengers in Southeast Asia’s largest economy reached 47.5 million in the first eight months of 2014, a 5.82 percentage point growth from the same period last year. However, the Indonesia National Air Carrier Association (INACA) initially targeted annual passenger growth in the range of 12-15 percent for 2014. Amid slowing economic growth, people’s purchasing power has declined.

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  • Strong Growth of Air Travel but How Safe Are the Airlines of Indonesia?

    The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on Saturday 7 March 2014 reminds us that flying does not go without risks. Although it is popularly said that flying in an airplane is safer than driving in a car - and despite the fact that Malaysia Airlines is a world-class airline - it is worth taking a closer look at the current state of aviation in the Asia Pacific, Indonesia in particular, as air traffic in the Asia Pacific has been booming (and budget airlines mushroomed) in recent years due to the expanding middle class.

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  • Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport World’s 8th Busiest Airport

    Airport Council International (ACI), the only global trade representative of the world's airports, stated that Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, located just outside the capital city of Jakarta, has climbed one spot and is now ranked the world’s 8th busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers (over the year 2013) and was the 4th busiest airport in the Asia Pacific after Beijing Capital International Airport, Haneda International Airport (Tokyo), and Dubai International Airport.

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