Garuda Indonesia Opens Voice About Alleged Mafia Buying And Selling Flight Hours

JAKARTA - PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk has opened its voice regarding the alleged existence of a mafia buying and selling flight hours in the aviation business in Indonesia.

Allegations of this mafia emerged because of the absence of Garuda Group flight services in favorite hours.

Garuda Indonesia Commercial Director Reza Aulia Hakim said this assumption occurred because of the high public expectations of Garuda Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the number of fleets owned has decreased and has an impact on reducing the frequency of flights served.

Furthermore, Reza said this condition caused the assumption that Garuda Indonesia was not present at his favorite hours.

"With the reduced number of aircraft that we might have previously flown to a destination with a fairly large frequency and currently with limited fleets so that the frequency is reduced. Now, this may lead to a perception from the public why Garuda is not present at prime time," he told reporters at the DPR Building, Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Monday, September 22.

Responding to this, continued Reza, the company will immediately review the current flight schedules of Garuda Indonesia. The goal is also to ensure that services to the community can run optimally.

"How can we review the existing schedule-schedule so that we can fulfill the needs of the community," he said.

Regarding the alleged existence of the mafia buying and selling flight hours, Reza did not explain in detail. He only said that the submission of flight slots made by Garuda Indonesia to the Ministry of Transportation received good support from the ministry.

"We are in a position to see the process we are doing to speed up slots or this route is currently very, very well supported and our procedures are carried out in accordance with applicable regulations," he said.

Previously, a member of Commission VI of the DPR from the PDI-Perjuangan faction, Mufti Anam, revealed allegations of a mafia buying and selling flight hours in the aviation business in Indonesia.

In fact, continued Mufti, flight hours can be traded at a quite fantastic price of billions of rupiah.

"Is this true, there is no mafia about this flying time? He said the price is billions of rupiah, if there is, we ask law enforcement to investigate this matter," he said at the Hearing Meeting between Commission VI and Garuda Indonesia, InJourney Airports, and IAS, Monday, September 22.

The suspicion of the sale and purchase mafia during this flight, continued Mufti, started with the absence of Garuda Indonesia flights in favorite hours. Likewise with Garuda Indonesia's subsidiary, Citilink Indonesia.

"I had a chance to chat with Commission V friends, he said that the flight hours were for sale. Is that right, sir? We ask you to answer on the spot, don't be afraid, sir. We will help you how Garuda can have idle hours," he said.

Sekadar informasi, jam idle penerbangan biasanya merujuk pada waktu pesawat tidak beroperasi atau menunggu di darat antara penerbangan. Kondisi ini lebih sering disebut trunaround atau waktu berhenti terbang.

“Karena ternyata jam-jam idle itu dikuasai oleh penerbangan swasta. Bahkan jam-jam tertentu karena idle banget itu ada penerbangan yang jaraknya hanya 30 menit dan kalau kosong itu dijadikan hanya satu penerbangan,” ucapnya.

Mufti bilang, akibat penggabungan itu, banyak penumpang pesawat yang terdampak delay atau penundaan penerbangan.

“Akhirnya berdampak kepada penumpang harus delay dan sebagainya,” katanya.

For your information, flight idle hours usually refer to the time the plane does not operate or wait on land between flights. This condition is more often called a trunaround or time to stop flying.

"Because it turns out that idle hours are controlled by private flights. Even certain hours because it's really idle there are flights that are only 30 minutes away and if it's empty it's used as just one flight," he said.

Mufti said, due to the merger, many airplane passengers were affected by the delay or flight delays.

"Finally, it has an impact on passengers having to delay and so on," he said.