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

  • Financial Victims of Sharp Rupiah Depreciation: Garuda and PLN

    As companies' financial results of 2013 slowly start to be released, two reports - so far - have raised eyebrows due to significant declines in net profit. These are publicly listed, but majority state-owned, airline Garuda Indonesia and fully state-owned electricity firm Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). Both companies felt the impact of the sharply depreciating Indonesia rupiah exchange rate. The currency fell over 21 percent against the US dollar in 2013 due to capital outflows amid looming US tapering and current account deficit concerns.

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  • Two Airports Serving the Community of Indonesia's Capital City of Jakarta

    On Friday 10 January 2014, the government of Indonesia opened Halim Airport for scheduled commercial flights. Previously, the only airport that served these types of flights around Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta and surrounding towns was the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta), located in Cengkareng (Banten). However, the amount of daily passengers at Soetta has exceeded its capacity. Based on data from Airports Council International, released in 2013, Soetta is the world's tenth busiest airport.

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  • Two Indonesian Airlines Plan Corporate Actions for Business Expansion

    Garuda Indonesia, the country's top-class airline, is planning to conduct a rights issue in the first quarter of 2014. Through this corporate action, which has already been approved by the shareholders, the state-controlled company aims to raise IDR 2 trillion (USD $162.6 million). For 2014, the airline plans to allocate IDR 4 trillion in capital expenditure (capex) for business expansion. About half of this amount should originate from funds generated through the rights issue.

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  • Indonesian Infrastructure Update: Construction of the Karawang Airport

    Although initially expected to start in 2015, the government announced that construction of the new Karawang airport (in West Java) may commence in 2014. The administrative process (including a spatial plan review) is near completion, thus clearing the way for the airport's groundbreaking. The Karawang International Airport, which is designed to have a passenger handling capacity of 70 million people per year, will be built on a 900 ha piece of land and is envisaged to relieve passenger and flight congestion at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

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  • Weak Market Conditions Trigger Postponement of GMF AeroAsia's IPO

    After it was reported that Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia's state-controlled national air carrier, postponed its rights issue, the company stated that it highly doubts an initial public offering (IPO) of its subsidiary Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) AeroAsia on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in 2013. The reason for this postponement is current lingering uncertainty that plagues emerging markets, including Indonesia, since May 2013. Uncertainty about the future of the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program led to a large outflow of foreign funds.

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  • Garuda Indonesia Prepares Rights Issue and Bond Issuance

    Garuda Indonesia, one of the major airlines in Indonesia, has announced to conduct a rights issue in October 2013. Through the rights issue, which involves the issuance of 10 percent of new shares, Garuda aims to reap USD $200 million. Garuda was a fully state-owned company before its initial public offering (IPO) in early 2011 when it released 30 percent of its shares. However, Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR) had approved total public offering up to 40 percent. The remaining 10 percent is now offered through the rights issuance.

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  • Another Record-Breaking Order from Indonesia's Private Airline Lion Air

    Today, Indonesian private airline Lion Mentari Airlines (Lion Air) ordered a record-breaking 234 airplanes from France-based Airbus for a combined price of €18.4 billion (US $24 billion). This mega-purchase marks the aggressive expansion drift of the Indonesian low-cost airline. In November 2011, the company had already ordered 230 aircrafts from (Airbus competitor) Boeing for the combined price of USD $21.7 billion.

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  • What is Blocking Realization of Indonesia's Lucrative Aviation Potential?

    The number of air passengers in Indonesia has increased significantly during the last decade, and turned the country in one of the fastest-growing air travel industries worldwide. Blessed with robust macro economic growth and a subsequent burgeoning middle class, Indonesians are increasingly using airplanes as means of transportation. It is estimated that in 2012 about 72.5 million people used air transport in Indonesia, a ten percent year-on-year increase.

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  • Booming Aviation Industry in Indonesia Continues its Fast Pace

    One of the industries that has been showing remarkable growth in recent years in Indonesia is the aviation industry. Blessed with robust macro economic growth and a burgeoning middle class, the country's population is increasingly using airplanes as means of transportation. Considering the magnitude of Indonesia, its island rich composition and underdeveloped road and rail network, air travel is an efficient option.

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