Regarding The Pelita Air-Citilink Merger, Deputy Minister Tiko: Wait For Garuda's Year-End Report

Deputy Minister of BUMN Kartika Wirjoatmodjo (Photo: dock VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) has not yet decided on a merger or merger scheme for state-owned airlines, namely PT Citilink Indonesia and PT Pelita Air Service (PAS). This is because shareholders want to see the final financial report from PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk.

Reporting from Garuda Indonesia's official website, the majority shareholder of Citilink airline is PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. Where Garuda owns 97.80 percent or the equivalent of 1,137,893 shares. Meanwhile, 2.20 percent or 24.750 shares are controlled by PT Aero Wisata.

Deputy Minister of SOEs, Kartika Wirjoatmodjo explained that the Ministry of SOEs as a shareholder of state-owned airlines will still wait for a consolidated financial final report from the Garuda Indonesia Group.

Therefore, Tiko, Kartika Wirjoatmodjo's nickname, admitted that he could not reveal what scheme the Ministry of SOEs had chosen for the merger of state-owned airlines.

"(The merger scheme?) Not yet, not yet, we are waiting for the report at the end of Garuda year first," he said when met at Waskita Rajawali Tower, Jakarta, Monday, January 8.

Previously, Tiko said the merger of the two state-owned airlines would depend on Garuda Indonesia's financial capabilities. Currently, Garuda is still in the financial restructuring phase.

Therefore, said Tiko, the Ministry of SOEs will conduct a review or review of Garuda Indonesia's financial structure first, before the merger between Citilink and Pelita Air is carried out.

"Depending on Garuda's restructuring capabilities, we will review at the end of the year (2023) whether Garuda is healthy by the end of this year," said Tiko in the Jakarta area some time ago.

Tiko said, there are two options that have been prepared for the consolidation of Citilik and Pelita Air. First, the transfer of the Pelita Air Service regular flight license to Citilink Indonesia. Second, it was handed over to PT Aviasi Wisata Indonesia (Persero) or InJourney.

"It's still under study. So there are two options. The option is Pelita to enter the Citilink or Pelita to InJourney, it's still being studied," he said.