Erick Thohir's Specialist Staff Has Been Outspoken About Garuda Indonesia: We Will Look For Options So That This Nation Will Continue To Have Airlines

Garuda Indonesia aircraft. (Photo: Doc. Garuda Indonesia)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises is fighting for the negotiation process with aircraft leasing providers or lessors and receivable owners regarding the rescue of Garuda Indonesia.

"Regarding Garuda Indonesia, we are actually in the negotiation process. We hope that the negotiations will be successful," said Special Staff to the Minister of SOEs, Arya Sinulingga, in his official statement, quoted from Antara, Monday, October 25.

According to Arya, only in this way is the negotiation with the expected debt owners. If this is successful then Garuda will still be able to run.

He also added that currently the Ministry of SOEs is focusing and prioritizing on negotiating options with lessors and Garuda receivable owners.

"We are currently trying to continue to struggle to be able to negotiate with the lessors, the parties who have receivables with Garuda. This is the main thing. We prioritize this negotiation option first. Garuda. This is what we do," said Arya.

Arya also said that Garuda's current problem was due to Garuda's bad flight charter.

"We know that Garuda's condition is like this due to the bad flight charter by Garuda. This main factor is compounded by the current Corona situation. This COVID-19 pandemic is only the peak, and Garuda itself has long had a bad corporate foundation, said Arya.

Thus, Arya continued, the Ministry of SOEs must deal with the Garuda problem properly and efficiency is carried out continuously, so all parties must work together to help.

"We have to save it by negotiation. If this method doesn't work, the Ministry of SOEs will only look for options or steps so that SOEs and the Indonesian people will still have airlines. So we'll just have to wait and see how our negotiations with the lessors and the owners of Garuda's receivables will be," he said.

Previously, Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Kartika Wirjoatmodjo targeted PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk to join the BUMN Holding PT Aviasi Wisata Indonesia/Aviata (Persero) in 2023.

He hopes that the restructuring of Garuda will be completed quickly and completed, so that they will be part of Aviata in the future.

He said the merger with the tourism holding would go through three stages, in which the first stage was completed in the third quarter of 2021, the second in the fourth quarter of 2021, and the third in 2023.