Regarding Mergers With Citilink, Pelita Air Business Permits Are Questioned

Airbus A320-200 aircraft Pelita Air is preparing to land at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Citilink's planned merger or merger of state-owned airlines with Pelita Air is questioned.

The reason is, the merger scheme only transfers Pelita's aircraft and license to Citilink.

Pengerbengan observer Alvin Lie said PT Pelita Air Service is a subsidiary of Pertamina which has a focus on the aviation business.

Before serving scheduled Commercial flights in 2021, continued Alvin, Pelita serves unscheduled or chartered Commercial flights.

Therefore, Alvin questioned Pelita Air's business license. This is because business licenses cannot be transferred or traded.

"Business permits in the aviation sector cannot be traded or transferred. But company ownership can be transferred," he told VOI, Tuesday, September 26.

Alvin assessed that the statement by the Deputy Minister of BUMN Kartika Wirjoatmodjo regarding the merger of Pelita and Citilink Indonesia was confusing.

"It's like an aviation business license can be transferred. Even if it can be transferred, then what is Pelita Air's business activity which was originally formed in 1963 as an airline? Strange, right?," he said.

Previously, it was reported that Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Kartika Wirjoatmodjo revealed the latest news regarding the planned merger or merger of Citilink and Pelita Air airlines.

He said later the plane belonging to the Petamina subsidiary airline would be transferred to Citilink.

Not only the plane belonging to Pelita will be transferred to the Garuda Indonesia subsidiary, but also the license belonging to Pelita Air.

"So later Pelita's license and plane will be transferred to Citilink, so it's a plane and we have moved the license," he said when met at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Wednesday, September 20.

Meanwhile, continued the man who is familiarly called Tiko, the limited company (PT) of the two companies will remain separate.

"The PT may remain separate. So later under Garuda, there will be Citilink and Pelita," he explained.