Aircraft Number Requirements

Last updated: November 3, 2010

The days are numbered for many smaller airlines in Indonesia, with new regulations coming into force requiring them to operate at least ten vessels.

By January 12th 2012 all Indonesian airlines must operate at least ten aircraft, with a minimum of five to be owned by the airline company, while the remaining five may be rented. Failure to comply with the new regulation could see airlines having their operating certification withdrawn by the Ministry of Transport.

Edward A. Silooy, the Director of the Air Traffic section of the Department of Transportation, said the matter would not be postponed again, that January 12th 2012 was the final deadline for compliance.

The new law is to protect passengers [from small, financially unsound operators]. If they don’t operate ten vessels they will be shut down.

Companies that did not have sufficient capital to purchase at least five aircraft, and rent five others, could not be allowed to fly, he went on, in order to ensure safety standards.

He said the government did not want to see any more disasters and airline company failures, like that of Adam Air.

A further requirement of the law is that operators must present a five year financial and company plan to the ministry.

The airlines which currently do not meet the requirements are:

• Riau Airlines (operates 5)
• KALStar Aviation (operates 2)
• Pelita Air Service (operates 3)
• Travira Air (operates 2)
• Trigana Air Service (operates 12, ownership status unclear)
• Indonesian AirAsia (operates 15, none owned)
• Travel Express (not known)
• Dirgantara Air Service (not known)

The following airlines already fulfill the requirements: Garuda Indonesia, Merpati Nusantara, Lion Air, Batavia Air, Wings Air, Sriwijaya Air, and charter operator Indonesia Air Transport.

The Secretary-General of the Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA), Tengku Burhanuddin, complains that many of his members are unable to meet the 10 plane requirement because of a worldwide market shortage of viable aircraft, the situation made worse by limited ability to access credit from banks. Tengku said it was likely some airlines would have to merge to survive. (Bisnis Indonesia)

11 Comments on Aircraft Number Requirements

1. dave Says:
   November 9th, 2010 at 5:37 pm

   As far as I know Trigana is the only way to get to Wamena and other locations in Papua. What will happen if they shut this airline down?

2. Thomas Says:
   November 10th, 2010 at 8:07 am

   This is exactly what has been happening in the US. Larger companies who have lobby Dollars are getting laws passed to cut out competition. You will now pay more for these short flights. The criteria should not be how many planes you have. Safety should be the criteria. If you have one plane and and you are maintaining the planes according to FFA guide lines, proper inspections, Over hauls on set Hours etc you should be allowed to Compete their share of the publics transportation needs. How did they come up with the number of 10 Planes? They pulled it out of their butts. That was probably the size of an operation that could pay off the law makers. If I were an 10 plane operation I would have paid too. For the prospect of more business of course. But like every thing else next go round will be a 15 plane operation.
   This is disgusting. It is a total farce. This is not free trade. It is the Golden Rule. Those with the Gold make the Rule.
   They just wiped out the competition. Who really looses???

3. Chris Says:
   November 10th, 2010 at 5:02 pm

   Hi Dave,

   I’ll be very surprised if they suspend all flights to Wamena for administrative reasons.
   They need flights to Wamena because:

   1. Unlike the airport in Tanah Toraja (which also used to have a flight on a smaller airline) South Sulawesi, It’s not like there is an alternative route via road (bus, truck), rail or something.

   2. They need to keep it operating for the associated cargo of food, tourists, soldiers, etc.

   3. On a lighter note, there is also an Indonesian football team (Persiwa) in Wamena that is in the top division because – like in some South American countries – they are virtually unbeatable at home due to the high altitude.

   To answer your query about choices of airlines to Wamena, Trigana definitely still does it, and there may be others. Merpati used to, but don’t any more.

   Unfortunately, the Wikipedia Page for Jayapura’s Sentani airport ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentani_Airport ) doesn’t shed any light, but it might be rather out of date.

   For Trigana Air flight details, see their online schedule here:
   http://www.trigana-air.com/html/module.php?act=flight&lang=en

   According to my Lonely Planet guide, it is also possible sometimes to pay for a spare seat on a charter flight with a charity or religious group like MAF ( http://www.maf.org/papua ).

4. Chris Says:
   November 10th, 2010 at 5:06 pm

   More generally, the minimum number of owned aircraft is an old proposal that has been floating around for a while.

   It was going to be increased from two to five a few years ago, so I don’t know whether that idea was abandoned or if they just forgot/didn’t bother to enforce it on e.g. Indonesian Air Asia.

5. aboualhawa/imadmr Says:
   November 10th, 2010 at 5:23 pm

   أريد أن أقضي عدة أيام في جاكرتا للتعرف على المدينة الجميلة والتعرّف على الشركات السياحية للتعامل معها في مجال السياحة

6. Hans Says:
   November 13th, 2010 at 12:07 am

   This is a very strange thing. thinks little My. Little My is born on the
   Midsummer’s Day in Helsinki, and is called the smallest and youngest of all Mymble
   children, so small, in fact, that you can barely see her. I also think that it seems odd. but ok that security must be raised is, of course, for those of us who often wonder. ‘ll see how it goes this time. the most important is probably that pilots stop flying, and that the computer can do its job to get us safely from A to B without any interfering madman pilot.
   little My only fly whit Finnair, when she go to Peaceful Ivalo to meeting Santa Claus in his own back yard, Finnair’s northernmost destination, delivers a taste of the old Lapland, and beautiful Kajaani is the city to visit if you want a true wilderness experience.

   the point is? If Finnair not having any problem, then ther is no EXCUSE for any one else to not maintain a high safety level.

   https://www.finnair.com/finland/winter/en/lapland.html

7. Hans Says:
   November 13th, 2010 at 1:14 pm

   There is one very strange thing more, thinks Little My. wonder if Garuda Indonesia would be able to take over all of Finnair’s flights in January in northern Finland. Without getting any incidents or accidents. The fact that Finnair can take over any one of Garuda Indonesia flights or destinations without problems. is there probably no one who has any doubts about.
   go around and point out that is raining is probably now days the most watered-down replica in Indonesien fly history, Blaming incidents of rain, instead of saying the truth about the lack of knowledge should be the criminal act for all involved, from pilots, maintenance managers and the management group.

   hmm yes there is a reason that Little My chose to compare with the Finnish ***Finnair***
   Blizzard vs. rain? Which are the worst, most dangerous, most difficult to fly in.
   It´s not RAIN!

8. Chris Says:
   November 14th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

   Dear Hans,

   Hyvää paivää! Mita kuuluu?

   I have visited Finland twice and flown Finnair a few times: London to Helsinki, Helsinki to Oulu, Helsinki to Zurich. The first two were in December, the other in August.

   My enduring memories were:

   1. The plane’s departure being delayed temporarily while it waited for a visit from the de-icing machine/truck. It put a coating of (I think) anti-freeze liquid on the wings to stop them icing up.

   2. Finnair claiming during December to be “the official airline of Santa Claus”:
   http://sexy-postcard.com/aw2k/LotImg49433.jpg
   When I asked Finnair check-in staff about this, they said this was because Santa was officially Finnish (because the Santa Claus Village is in Rovaniemi, Finnish Lapland) and so was Finnair. They didn’t seem to understand my counter-argument that Santa already has flying reindeer, so doesn’t need a plane…

   But to return to your point, I’m not sure that comparing Finnish blizzards to Indonesian tropical storms is a fair comparison.

   Blizzards are a bit easier to predict in advance, usually result in airport closures and cancellations, and only happen during Winter. Indonesian tropical storms are difficult to predict, happen all year round and are often short bursts of torrential rain – starting after the arriving/incoming plane has taken off.

   I agree that it was incorrect for Garuda GA200 Flight Captain Marwoto Komar to blame the weather when he ignored 15 automated warnings and the recommendation of his co-pilot to abort the landing. That’s why he became the first commercial pilot to be jailed for incompetence while flying a passenger aircraft.

   However, tropical storms have caused accidents for even some of the most reputable airlines, e.g.:

   Qantas ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QF1 )
   Singapore Airlines ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Airlines_Flight_006 )

9. Hans Says:
   November 15th, 2010 at 5:02 am

   Santas eight reindeer, Dasher, Dancer, Prance, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen, this reindeer drink and go on rocket fuel, calculations have shown that it is physically possible for Santa to keep up if Little My helps.
   the official airline of Santa Claus is not for him, it´s for u.
   If there is any icing conditions on the ground or in the air, summer as winter they sprays aircraft with a glycol that is preventing it from becoming a coating of ice on the aircraft while taxiing and during the first part of the journey takes place in the clouds, and it´s normal, I not ever think I have be missing it. weather change in the mountains can be very swift and devastating at the Arctic Circle. Storm Indonesia? Hurricanes move westward on either side of the equator, so it can blow on Java but not mutch it´s ridiculous litle!
   Yes I know Air Franc blame the rain in Canada, 1 time! 1 time to Mutch. abt 4 years ago I think I heard it 5 time only from LIONAIR? Tat it was raining and they get problem. and they blame the typ of air plain and This is a very strange thing. thinks little My when she go on rocket fuel. I did see 2 of this plan when we was out and travling, All LionAir stickers were removed

10. Hans Says:
    December 25th, 2010 at 2:13 am

    Now it has emerged a new very weird thing. think little My, Here in Scandinavia we have received lots of snow in some places several feet of snow, aviation works without problems.
    My Little wonder why London Paris Frankfurt may stop for several days because they get an inch wet slush. Talk about amateur Eve, Finland and Finnair laughing like crazy. 25 degrees below zero and three feet of snow in northern Finland and Sweden at Christmas time.
    2000 passengers stranded in Paris just now to Christmas Eve.
    I saw on television that the idiots tried to plow snow with brushing, sweepers. Little my laughing so eu parliament shouting about explanations from London, They should probably hire some Vikings and kick the sandbox men from Arabia.

    Having worked with snow, I think, and little My this is incredibly amazing shit fun. Imagine being able to see a Saudi Arab with a shovel to move snow in London on TV. normal time to clear a runway is about 10 minutes in Sweden not 120 minutes like this London Arabian do it.

11. Chris Says:
    January 7th, 2012 at 12:34 pm

    Update: 6 January 2012

    With barely a week to go before the law comes into effect, they have changed the law to allow new airlines a year to slowly build up to 10 planes:

    Airlines have one-year deadline to have at least 10 aircraft

    The same article also reports that Mandala Air might be about to make a comeback as Tiger Mandala, but is still yet to re-earn its Air Operator Certificate. I hope they make Mandala give refunds first to all passengers whose flights were cancelled.

    A new full-service airline, Pacific Royale, will also benefit from this change in the regulations, though it hasn’t commenced operations yet.

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