Garuda Indonesia Will 'Fight' In The LCC Market By Prioritizing Citilink

Garuda Indonesia aircraft. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk will take advantage of the low cost carrier (LCC) market by developing its subsidiary Citilink Indonesia. The LCC market itself in Indonesia is quite promising, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setia Putra, said that the low-cost airline market has the highest demand. Therefore, his party will accelerate Citilink's growth. The airline does operate for the LCC segment.

"In the future, of course, we will accelerate the growth of Citilink as an LCC. Because it is undeniable that it is faster than our market, the LCC market," he said in a virtual press conference, Tuesday, June 28.

Irfan also said this was in line with the direction of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir. According to Irfan, Garuda will also continue to be developed to work on the premium class market.

"It is like the direction from the Minister, Mr. Wamen, that indeed we will develop Citilink more later, although Garuda will also continue to be developed," he said.

Regarding flight routes, Irfan said that the additional routes and aircraft will be adjusted to Garuda Indonesia's goal of working on profitability.

"We make sure that the addition of flight routes in the future must be in accordance with our main goal or our main promise, namely ensuring profitability. If there are opportunities and opportunities in the future, of course we will continue to develop our obligations to build domestic accessibility," he said.

Previously reported, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Erick Thohir ensured that the business of PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk, in the future, would focus on domestic routes, because it is in line with the potential of the very potential domestic flight market. Erick admitted that he did not want Garuda to be "fashionable" by focusing on working on international routes.

"Well, why are we doing a fashion business, it's better if we improve our domestic market, which has a very large market, but only a few overseas ones, even for Umrah or Hajj and cargo, everything else is more domestic. today first," he said at the Indonesian Attorney General's Office, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, Monday, June 27.