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THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Danantara Indonesia, Rosan Roeslani gave a special message to the Garuda Indonesia board of directors regarding the procurement of aircraft fleets.
According to Rosan, who was at the Ministry of Investment Office in Jakarta on Tuesday (07/29), aircraft procurement must be planned for the long term and not just to meet the needs of the next two to five years. This message is also related to the procurement of Boeing aircraft purchased by Garuda Indonesia from the United States (US).
The reason is that the delivery of new aircraft purchases may not occur until 2031 or 2032. So, we told the Garuda directors to try to make a plan. We will optimize the aircraft and the routes. Then, in six to seven years, you will need new aircraft. That is what we will negotiate with Boeing,” he said.
Rosan said that Garuda Indonesia and Boeing had previously signed an agreement to purchase 50 aircraft before the pandemic. However, only one aircraft was sent to Indonesia as a result of the agreement, so 49 units have yet to be delivered to the country.
“This is what I want to convey. We will always honor our commitment. We are committed to buying 50. That agreement has already been signed. But maybe we will try to renegotiate the terms and conditions to make them better,” said Rosan.
He stressed this because now we want the thoughts of management, not only Garuda but all SOEs. This is his thought for more than two, three, or four to five years. It must be long-term thinking, too. Don’t rush because we are in management; usually, it’s only five years, right? We must think long term.
In his explanation, Rosan Roeslani revealed why his party gave Garuda Indonesia a loan of US$405 million (equivalent to IDR6.6 trillion): to optimize the current Garuda aircraft.
Rosan mentioned that the loan given to Garuda Indonesia was only partial. We recently injected approximately 400 million more dollars into Garuda. What is that for? That is just part of it. What is it for? Maintenance and refinement of aircraft.
Because many Citilink and Garuda aircraft have been grounded, we cannot fly. Even though we still pay the lease. We say that it will be generated first so that they can fly,” he said.
Currently, Rosan continued, Garuda’s aircraft fly for only five hours a day, even though they ideally fly for 12 hours a day.
“So, we say optimize first; the first aircraft must be ready to fly. Second, optimize the use of each aircraft in terms of flight. Third, of course, we will carry out a transformation in technology and services,” Rosan concluded. [kompas.com/photo special]
