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GARUDA Indonesia Group ensures that it continues to pay attention to the schedule for maintaining aircraft that will operate so that it is airworthy even though it is currently still in the COVID-19 pandemic period.
According to the President Director of PT Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) Aero Asia, I Wayan Susena in a written statement in Jakarta, said that we are still undergoing prolonged inspections set by manufacturers during the pandemic. And the prolong inspection is still carried out even though the aircraft is not flying due to the pandemic.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, GMF did not pay attention to the maintenance schedule for the Garuda Indonesia Group fleet and also several airlines that collaborated with PT Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) for aircraft maintenance.
Wayan explained that the prolong inspection is carried out on several aspects, such as the engine, cabin to the aircraft system with the aim of keeping the aircraft flying, according to the aircraft manual of each aircraft. Checks and maintenance are carried out so that when the plane is back in the air, users can feel comfortable and safe and the plane will be prepared in 2-3 days, before it is ready to return to air.
“So, we will take the plane from storage 2-3 days beforehand. We check everything, both from the engine, cabin to the system. We do this so that the plane remains safe and when it is used it is feasible,” he said.
Previously, the President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra, ensured that Garuda Indonesia was consistent in maintaining aircraft. This is still being done even though during the COVID-19 pandemic, many aircraft were not operated due to decreased passengers.
“This consistency is carried out in accordance with aircraft manufacturing safety standards and aviation safety regulations. Garuda Indonesia also strives for this in a comprehensive and layered manner. This must be done in carrying out comprehensive inspection and maintenance procedures for the fleet,” he noted.
Irfan also revealed that this was in line with efforts to provide a safe and comfortable flight experience and especially passenger safety. He emphasized that Garuda Indonesia always prioritizes safety commitments as a top priority in all of its operational lines.
Meanwhile Dean and Professor of the Faculty of Law, Tarumanegara University who is also an aviation expert, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Sudiro said that optimal fleet maintenance is one of the components that must be carried out by airline operators, therefore the absolute safety guarantee is obtained by passengers when they buy airplane tickets.
He said that as a result, all operational costs on the airline were ultimately borne by consumers, so that the rates set by the Government through the Ministry of Transportation currently have a cost per kilometer calculation and include maintenance costs for the fleets used.
“With this calculation it can be said that in the ticket price, passengers also buy a sense of security and comfort during the flight. And I can say that safety requires a cost that is not cheap, especially with full service rates apart from providing the best service, the safety factor. will prioritize,” Ahmad affirmed.
For this he believes that the airlines that charge full service tariffs to prospective passengers will truly provide a sense of security. This is done with optimal fleet maintenance, periodic checks and also entrusting aircraft operations to reliable pilots.
Currently, Ahmad believes that the airlines in the country that have the best maintenance performance are still Garuda Indonesia airlines. With fares that are slightly higher than other airlines, our country’s flight carrier is guaranteed to have better maintenance for its fleet operations.
“Moreover, the Garuda Indonesia Group has a subsidiary that focuses on maintaining world-class aircraft, namely GMF. Therefore, we hope that Garuda Indonesia will continue to pay attention to its services so that it can provide a sense of security and comfort to its users and of course continue to apply zero tolerance for maintenance problems of its fleet,” he concluded. [antaranews/photo special]
