Indonesia’s flag carrier had been assessing both the Bombardier CRJ1000 and Embraer 190 for its 18-aircraft sub-100 seat regional jet requirements since early 2011.

It decided on the CRJ a few weeks ago and an announcement is imminent, said an industry source familiar with the negotiation.

The decision is a major boost for Bombardier, which has been flagging behind its Brazilian rival in the regional jet market.

The Canadian company had a net order for only four of its CRJ-series of aircraft, while the backlog for the three months to 31 October 2011 fell to 52 aircraft from 61 at the end of June last year.

In addition, this is a blow to Embraer, which was hoping to secure a deal with Garuda after Indonesian carrier Sriwijaya placed a firm order for 20 E-190s in 2011.

Bombardier pushed its aircraft very strongly in Indonesia, flying down a CRJ700 to Jakarta in August last year for flight demonstrations. While the airframer has both the smaller CRJ700 and CRJ900 in its portfolio, Garuda’s preference is believed to be for the CRJ1000.

The aircraft will be based at four Garuda hubs, namely Balikpapan, Denpasar, Ujung Pandang and Makassar, to support the mainline carrier’s services, Garuda’s president director Emirsyah Satar told Flightglobal Pro last year.

“Regional jets will give us a lot of autonomy as there are fast-growing cities within Indonesia that require direct connections,” said Satar.

“If you want to fly from Balikpapan and Banjarmasin, it is tough to operate larger aircraft, but a regional jet would fit such low-density and high-yield routes,” Satar added.

Garuda hopes to have a fleet of 153 aircraft by 2015, almost double the 86 aircraft that it now operates, according to Flightglobal’s ACAS database.

Apart from the regional jets, these will include 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, 18-20 Airbus A330s and four dedicated freighters. The remainder will comprise Boeing 737-800s.

flightglobal.com

The airline is racing to meet a Feb. 15 deadline set by the Transportation Ministry to resume its operations, a deadline its 51 percent owner, private equity firm Saratoga Capital, is confident it will meet.

“We are ready now,” said Devin Wirawan, a manager at Saratoga.

Diding Sunardi, director of the air transportation directorate at the Transportation Ministry, said the ministry had completed the verification of Mandala’s fleet and it was in the final stage of issuing the airline operator’s certificate.

The AOC requires the operator to have personnel, assets and systems in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public. It also lists the type of aircraft to be flown and flight destinations.

“We are in the final stage now,’’ Diding said.

“We set February 15 as the deadline for the airline to fly. If they cannot meet that, its license will be revoked.”

Should the license be revoked, the airline would have to restart the process of getting the license, Diding said.

For its Jakarta operations, the airline appears set to initially fly out of Terminal 1 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport before moving to Terminal 3 in the middle of the year.

Salahuddin Raffi, director of operations at Angkasa Pura II, the airport operator, said the airline had notified it of its intentions.

“Mandala told us that it will be stationed at Terminal 3 in June or July. There have been delays,” Salahuddin said. “We welcome them, and we will not cause any difficulties.”

Angkasa Pura II operates 11 international airports, including Soekarno-Hatta.

Devin said Mandala had 10 Airbus A320 aircraft, five of which are owned by the airline.

“Two of the aircraft are ready in Singapore,’’ he said.

Mandala stopped its operations in January last year under the weight of Rp 2.4 trillion ($269 million) in debt, returning its aircraft to its lessors amid rising operational costs.

In a debt-restructuring deal reached in April, the airline converted its debt into 6.89 million shares, or 15 percent of Mandala’s total equity.

In September, a Saratoga representative said he was hopeful the airline would return to the skies within 90 days.

Investor Daily, with additional reporting from Francezka Nangoy

The Jakarta Globe

“Pengembangan KA Indonesia masa depan ada Argo Cahaya, Jakarta-Surabaya. Mengadopsi sistem Shinkansen Jepang. Studi awal sudah dilakukan,” ujar Bambang Susantono Wakil Menteri Perhubungan dalam acara Seminar Nasional Perkeretaapian di Balai Sidang Universitas Indonesia (UI), Depok, Jawa Barat, Rabu (25/1/2012).

Untuk hal investor, Bambang menyatakan sudah ada Jepang dan China yang menjajaki mengenai pembangunan kereta peluru ini. Anggarannya pun hingga mencapai ratusan triliun rupiah.

Ketika ditanya mengenai jalur kereta di sepanjang Pulau Jawa yang sering berhimpitan dengan rumah penduduk, Bambang mengatakan, kemungkinan untuk namun membuat jalur sendiri. Untuk itulah studi awal pembangunan kereta shinkansen ini meliputi kondisi sosial budaya masyarakat.

Shinkansen yang mempunyai jarak tempuh hingga 300km/jam, maka Argo Cahaya diharapkan bisa menempuh jarak Jakarta-Surabaya hanya dalam waktu 2,5 jam saja. Tapi tentu saja harga tiketnya cukup tinggi. Tiket termurah Shinkansen sekitar Rp 1,3 juta untuk jarak 380 km.

News Source: Detik

Japanese carmaker Toyota Motor Corp (TMC) will add a further Rp 1.3 trillion (US$141 million) to its investment in Indonesia this year, in order to increase its production capacity to 230,000 vehicles by 2013. “TMC has already agreed to add 50,000 vehicles more to the annual production capacity in Indonesia,” PT Toyota Astra Motor (TAM) president director Johnny Darmawan said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

TMC president director Akio Toyoda had previously said in 2011 that the company would increase the production capacity of its manufacturing arm PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia (TMMIN) from 110,000 vehicles to 180,000 vehicles per year, with an investment of around Rp 2.8 trillion. Johnny, who is also TMMIN vice president director, said that the investment was an additional investment because TMC saw the Indonesian market continuing to grow.

With the additional investment, the total TMMIN production capacity in 2013 vehicles could reach 230,000, while in 2012 it was expected to reach 180,000 vehicles. He added that TMMIN would also build a new factory in Karawang, West Java, to meet the entire car demand in Indonesia.

“We are still facing supply shortages, despite being assisted by Daihatsu,” he said, adding that there would be new models produced in Indonesia in the next few years.

PT Astra Daihatsu Motor produces the Avanza multi-purpose vehicle and the Rush sports-utility vehicle for Toyota. Johnny added that Toyota was also increasing its investment in Thailand making both countries huge production centers in the Asia Pacific region.

Meanwhile, TMMIN spokesman Irwan Priyantoko said there was still plenty of space in Toyota’s 100-hectare plot in Karawang. “So far we have only used 40 hectares, including for the new factory to increase production to 180,000 cars per year,” he said. “We have not decided yet whether we need new buildings for the additional 50,000 cars.” In addition to manufacturing plant, Toyota’s facilities in Karawang also include stockyards and a testing ground.

News Source: The Jakarta Post

Pagi ini saya mendapatkan kabar bahwa Batavia Air akan memulai penerbangan perdana Manado – Guazhou. Sebuah langkah berani, karena bagaimanapun langkah ini tentu saja ingin memanfaatkan market di Guagzhou yang terus meningkat, dan membawanya ke Manado. Sementara Manado sendiri bukanlah sebuah destinasi utama di dunia penerbangan di Indonesia, masih jauh di bawah Makassar sekalipun. Batavia tentu menyadari itu, dan itulah sebabnya, bagi saya ini adalah langkah berani dan patut diapresiasi.

Saya masih ingat ketika FireFly (maskapai Malaysia) terbang ke Banda Aceh dari Kuala Lumpur. Saya sempat bertemu dengan salah satu petinggi FireFly ketika di Banda Aceh, dan saya tanyakan kenapa berani terbang ke Aceh yang belum punya nilai ekonomis tinggi waktu itu. Beliau menjawab, “Kami harus berani memulai. Tanpa keberanian itu, industri penerbangan hanya berjalan di tempat”.

Jawaban yang bagus. Keberanian.

Tentu saja itu belum cukup. Maskapai harus membangun reputasi. Saya pernah naik Delta Airlines dari Atlanta, Georgia ke Tokyo. Beberapa penumpang becanda sambil menyampaikan kepada para pramugari bahwa beberapa fasilitas di Delta Airlines kurang begitu bagus kualitasnya. Dengan santai sang pramugari menjawab bahwa memang Delta tidak bisa dibandingkan dengan Singapore Airlines yang punya fasilitas nomor satu di setiap detailnya. Reputasi Singapore Airlines memang sehebat reputasi Singapura. Bersih, excellent, efisien, kelas satu! Reputasinya jauh menembus batas wilayah negaranya yang kecil.

Apakah maskapai-maskapai nasional bisa sehebat Singapore Airlines? Tentu saja bisa. Bahkan, Garuda Indonesia hanya setingkat dibawahnya (maju terus Garuda).

Ada satu hal lagi yang akan make difference.

Satu hari teman saya akan pergi ke Amsterdam. Dia mengetahui bahwa Garuda sudah terbang lagi ke Amsterdam, namun dia lebih memilih memakai Emirates dengan berbagai alasan (terutama prestis). Dia menganggap bahwa Emirates lebih ini dan itu dibanding Garuda Indonesia. Meski harga relatif sama. Tentu sah saja seperti itu, akan tetapi di saat maskapai nasional sedang bersungguh-sungguh membangun image dan reputasi, namun apabila tidak didukung oleh stakeholder utama di dalam negeri (penumpang Indonesia yang bangga menggunakan maskapai nasional), tentu akan sulit bagi mereka.

Fajar era Open Sky sudah mulai menyeruak, dengan menghadirkan maskapai-maskapai dari seluruh Asia Tenggara dengan kualitas yang hampir berimbang. Dan percaya atau tidak, Indonesia adalah pasar industri penerbangan yang paling menggiurkan. Kalau bukan kita yang menggunakan maskapai-maskapai nasional, rasanya berat mengharapkan orang luar bangga menggunakannya.

Dari sini jelas, kita harus bagaimana mulai sekarang, kan?

–

Kadang libur itu penting. Pada hari tanpa kesibukan itulah persoalan yang rumit bisa dibicarakan secara mendasar, detail, dan habis-habisan. Misalnya, pada hari libur Sabtu lalu. Enam jam penuh bisa membicarakan rumitnya persoalan Merpati Nusantara Airline.

Tidak hanya direksi dan komisaris yang hadir, tapi juga seluruh manajer senior. Ruang rapat sampai tidak cukup sehingga pindah ke ruang tamu yang secara kilat dijadikan arena perdebatan.

Meski saya yang memimpin rapat, tidak ada hierarki di situ. Segala macam jabatan dan predikat saya minta ditanggalkan. Tidak ada menteri, tidak ada Dirut, tidak ada komisaris, dan tidak ada bawahan. Semua sejajar sebagai orang bebas. Duduknya pun tidak diatur dan tidak teratur.

Operator laptop dan proyektornya sampai duduk di lantai. Kebetulan saya juga hanya memakai kaus dan celana olahraga. Belum mandi pula. Baru selesai berolahraga bersama 30.000 karyawan dan keluarga Bank Rakyat Indonesia se-Jakarta memperingati ultah ke-116 mereka yang gegap gempita.

Pindah dari acara BRI ke acara Merpati pagi itu rasanya seperti pindah dari surga ke Marunda. Dari perusahaan yang labanya Rp 14 triliun ke perusahaan yang ruginya tidak habis-habisnya. Dari jalannya operasional saja Merpati sudah rugi besar.

Apalagi, kalau ditambah beban-beban utangnya. Tiap bulan pendapatannya hanya Rp 133 miliar. Pengeluarannya Rp 178 miliar. Pesawatnya tua-tua. Sekali dapat yang baru MA 60 pula.

Suasana kerja di Merpati pun sudah seperti perusahaan yang no hope! Maka, jelaslah bahwa persoalan Merpati tidak bisa diselesaikan dengan cara biasa.

Restrukturisasi perusahaan dengan cara modern sudah dicoba sejak dua tahun lalu. Belum ada hasilnya “bahkan tanda-tandanya sekali pun. Upaya restrukturisasi ini telah menghabiskan enersi luar biasa. Lebih-lebih menghabiskan waktu dan kesempatan.

Panjangnya proses pengadaan pesawat Tiongkok MA 60 membuat peluang lama hilang begitu saja. Rute-rute kosong yang semula akan diisi MA 60 telanjur dimasuki Wing dan Susi Air yang lebih kompetitif. MA 60 yang menurut para pilot merupakan pesawat yang bagus, lebih berat lagi bebannya setelah terjadi kecelakaan di Kaimana.

Peristiwa yang sebenarnya tidak ada hubungannya dengan kualitas pesawat itu ikut membuat Merpati ibarat petinju yang sudah sempoyongan tiba-tiba terkena pukulan berat.

Sebelum kecelakaan Kaimana, penumpang sebenarnya lebih senang naik MA 60. Pesawat ini sengaja didesain untuk negara tropis. AC-nya bisa berfungsi sejak penumpang masuk pesawat. Tidak seperti pesawat baling-baling lain yang panas udara kabinnya luar biasa dan baru berkurang setelah beberapa menit di udara.

Merpati memang sering kehilangan momentum. Bahkan, seperti sudah kehilangan momentum sejak dari lahirnya. Ketika kali pertama dipisahkan dari Garuda, pesawat-pesawatnya diambil, tapi utangnya ditinggalkan. Beban-beban lain juga menumpuk.

Semua itu enak sekali dijadikan kambing hitam oleh manajemen. Setiap manajemen yang gagal punya alasan pembenarannya. Kadang manajemen lebih sibuk mengumpulkan kambing hitam daripada bekerja keras dan melakukan efisiensi.

Benarkah tidak ada hope lagi di Merpati?

Itulah yang melalui forum pada hari libur Sabtu lalu ingin saya ketahui. Terutama sebelum saya membuat keputusan yang tragis: ditutup! Segala macam usaha sudah dilakukan.

Dua bulan lalu sebenarnya saya sudah menyederhanakan manajemen Merpati. Jabatan wakil Dirut saya hapus. Jumlah direktur saya kurangi. Ini agar manajemen lebih lincah. Juga terbebas dari beban psikologis karena wakil Dirutnya lebih senior dari sang Dirut.

Rupanya itu belum cukup. Saya harus masuk lebih ke dalam. Tiba-tiba saya ingin berdialog langsung. Dialog yang intensif dan tanpa batas. Dialog dengan jajaran yang lebih bawah.

Di masa lalu saya sering mendapat pengalaman ini: banyak ide bagus justru datang dari orang bawah yang langsung bekerja di lapangan. Bukan dari konseptor yang bekerja di belakang meja.

Memang ada rencana pemerintah dan DPR untuk membantu keuangan Merpati Rp 561 miliar. Tapi, akankah uang itu bermanfaat? Atau hanya akan terbang terhambur begitu saja ke udara? Seperti ratusan miliar uang-uang negara sebelumnya?

Tentu saya tidak ingin seperti itu. Harus ada jaminan ini: dengan suntikan tersebut Merpati bisa hidup dan berkembang. Tidak seperti suntikan-suntikan uang ratusan miliar rupiah di masa lalu. Ini juga harus menjadi uang terakhir dari negara untuk Merpati. Sudah terlalu besar negara terus menyuntik Merpati, dengan hasil yang masih begitu-begitu saja.

Karena itu, saya kemukakan terus terang di forum: daripada uang Rp 561 miliar tersebut terhambur ke udara begitu saja dan karyawan pada akhirnya kehilangan pekerjaan juga, lebih baik Merpati ditutup sekarang juga. Uang itu bisa dibelikan kebun kelapa sawit. Tiap karyawan mendapat pesangon 2 ha kebun sawit.

Orang Riau punya dalil: satu keluarga yang punya 2 ha kebun sawit, sudah bisa hidup sampai menyekolahkan anak ke ITB! Memiliki 2 ha kebun sawit lebih memberikan masa depan daripada terus menjadi karyawan Merpati.

Tentu ide ini membuat pertemuan heboh. Sekaligus peserta pertemuan tertantang untuk menolaknya. Mereka tidak rela kalau Merpati harus mati. Kebun sawit bukan bandingan untuk masa depan. Oke. Saya setuju. So what? Kalau dari operasionalnya saja sudah rugi, masih adakah alasan untuk mempertahankannya?

Maka, saya ajukan ide untuk melakukan pembahasan topik per topik. Ini untuk mengecek apakah benar masih ada harapan?

Topik pertama adalah: bagaimana membuat pendapatan Merpati lebih besar daripada pengeluarannya. Kalau tidak ada jalan yang konkret di topik ini, putusannya jelas: Merpati harus ditutup.

Asumsinya: bagaimana bisa memikul beban yang lain kalau dari operasionalnya saja sudah rugi besar. Berapa pun modal digerojokkan tidak akan ada artinya. Lebih baik untuk beli kebun sawit!

Meski logika sawit begitu jelas dan rasional, rupanya masih banyak yang takut mengubah jalan hidup. Ketika hal itu saya kemukakan, seseorang nyeletuk dari arah belakang. “Salah Pak Dahlan! Bukan kami takut menjadi petani sawit, tapi Merpati ini masih punya peluang besar,” katanya. “Asal semua orang di Merpati punya etos kerja yang hebat,” tambahnya.

Etos kerja ini begitu sering dia sebut sebagai penyebab utama kesulitan Merpati sekarang ini. Dia sangat percaya etos itulah kuncinya, sehingga sepanjang enam jam rapat itu dia selalu dipanggil dengan nama Pak Etos.

Pak Etos mungkin benar. Tapi, itu masih kurang konkret. Yang diperlukan adalah usul konkret dan realistis. Yang bisa membuat pendapatan lebih besar daripada pengeluaran. Yang bisa dilaksanakan dalam keadaan Merpati as is.

Pagi itu begitu sulit mencari ide yang membumi. Saya pun lantas teringat pada gurauan pedagang-pedagang sukses seperti ini: “Tuhan itu baik. Tapi, uanglah yang bisa membuat orang mengatakan Tuhan itu baik”.

Rupanya perlu rangsangan material untuk melahirkan ide-ide kreatif. Rupanya perlu dana untuk mendatangkan Tuhan. Maka, saya tawarkan di forum itu: peserta rapat yang mengusulkan ide terbaik akan saya beri hadiah satu mobil baru, Avanza, dari kantong saya pribadi.

Rapat pun menjadi heboh. Gelak tawa memenuhi ruangan. Ide belum muncul, tapi warna mobil sudah harus dibicarakan. Setuju: warna krem! Neraka sawit ternyata tidak menarik. Surga Avanzalah yang menggiurkan. Pantaslah kalau Jakarta macet!

Tuhan rupanya benar-benar datang. Inspirasi bermunculan. Hampir semua peserta rapat mengangkat tangan. Mereka berebut mendaftarkan ide. Angkat tangan lagi untuk ide kedua. Ide ketiga. Bahkan, ada yang sampai mendaftarkan lima ide.

Setelah terkumpul 53 ide, barulah diperdebatkan. Mana yang konkret dan mana yang terlalu umum. Mana yang menghasilkan rupiah, mana yang menghasilkan semangat. Mana yang membuat pendapatan lebih besar, mana yang membuat pengeluaran lebih kecil.

Ide-ide itu kemudian di-ranking. Dari yang terbaik sampai yang terkurang. Dari yang terbanyak menghasilkan rupiah sampai yang menghasilkan etos. Perdebatan amat seru karena masing-masing mempertahankan idenya. Terjadi diskusi yang luar biasa intensif, mengalahkan rapat kerja bagian pemasaran.

Dari ranking yang dibuat, memang sudah bisa diketahui siapa yang bakal dapat mobil. Tapi, ada yang protes. “Sebaiknya hadiah baru diberikan setelah ide itu jadi kenyataan,” teriaknya.

Rupanya, dia ingin membuktikan bahwa meski idenya kalah ranking, dalam pelaksanaannya kelak akan mengalahkan juara ranking itu. Setuju. Kita lihat dulu kenyataan di lapangan. Peluang bagi ide yang ranking-nya di bawah pun masih terbuka.

Tentu ide-ide itu masih dirahasiakan. Ini terutama karena masih akan dirumuskan dalam bentuk program kerja nyata di lapangan. Tapi, semua ide memang sangat menarik. Dari sinilah bisa diketahui bahwa Merpati seharusnya tidak akan rugi secara operasional. Kalau ini terlaksana, pemilik dana tidak akan ragu membantu. Alhamdulillah. Tuhan memberkati.

Topik berikutnya adalah MA 60. Bagaimana kinerjanya selama ini? Apakah bisa menghasilkan uang dan terutama bagaimana mengembalikan citra yang rusak akibat kecelakaan Kaimana?

Banyak juga ide gila yang muncul. Termasuk ide bahwa khusus untuk MA 60 sebaiknya dicarikan pilot bule. Seperti pesawatnya Susi Air. Orang kita lebih percaya kepada bule daripada bangsa sendiri. Ketidakpercayaan orang terhadap MA 60 bisa ditutup dengan pilot orang bule. Huh!

Saya benci dengan ide ini.

Tapi, demi Merpati saya menerimanya!

Maka, setelah enam jam berdebat, tepat pukul 16.00, rapat pun diakhiri dengan lega. Saya bisa segera pulang untuk mandi pagi! (*)

Dahlan Iskan
Menteri BUMN

“We have installed cameras on one bus for a trial period, and will soon install them on on the rest of our fleet,” Transjakarta spokesman Muhammad Akbar said Tuesday as reported by tempointeraktif.com.

At present, Transjakarta plans to install cameras on more than 90 buses.

Eventually, each bus will be equipped with four cameras, he said, adding that the cameras would help to inform passengers waiting for buses about how crowded approaching buses are.

News Source: The Jakarta Post

Garuda said Monday that the new recruits were graduates from the Bali International Flight Academy. Demand for new aviators is growing as the airline plans to double the size of its fleet, to 154 aircraft by 2015.

“Hopefully, as more cadets finish their education by the end of this year, the role of foreign pilots will decrease and all Garuda Indonesia airplanes will be flown by Indonesian pilots,” said Emirsyah Satar, the president director of Garuda.

The new aviators are scheduled to replace the 34 foreign pilots who will finish their one-year contracts by the end of this year. Garuda has 897 permanent pilots and 43 contract pilots.

Last month, around 650 local pilots under the Garuda Pilots Union (APG) launched a 24-hour strike over wage inequality between Indonesian and foreign pilots. According to the APG, foreign pilots earn $7,200 a month, including housing benefits, compared to $5,000 for Indonesians.

The strike caused some problems for the airline, with flights being delayed between two and eight hours and at least three cancellations.

The strike was called off after about 15 hours following a meeting between the union, Garuda management and State Enterprises Minister Mustafa Abubakar.

Mustafa, who was at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport for a surprise inspection, said the disputing parties had agreed to go back to the negotiating table. It was unclear whether the new recruitment scheme was part of the agreements.

“At the moment, Garuda Indonesia is educating around 200 cadets at various flight schools in Indonesia,” Emirsyah said.

To fulfill its 200 new pilots per year plan, Garuda is working with the BIFA and the Indonesian Aviation College (STPI).

The BIFA produced 100 pilots for Garuda in four batches starting in March last year. The first two batches had begun working for Garuda as first officers, while the third batch is undergoing more testing at the Garuda Indonesia Training Center before they operate commercial planes.

The BIFA said there were 75 students currently studying at the facility who would all eventually work for the airline.

“We at the BIFA are very proud to be a part of Garuda’s transformation program in realizing its vision to become an even more competitive airline,” BIFA chairman Robby Djohan said.

News Source: The Jakarta Globe

Kereta wisata ini, lanjut Sugeng, memiliki 3 jenis: Bali, Nusantara, dan Toraja. Perbedaan kereta tersebut hanya pada ukiran yang mencirikan daerah tersebut dan sewa perorangan dan grup.

Kereta wisata ini memiliki kapasitas maksimal 22 orang dengan fasilitas sekelas hotel berbintang, seperti VVIP room, AC, minibar, ruang audio/video untuk karaoke, serta toilet yang dilengkapi jacuzzi. Kereta ini biasanya diberangkatkan dari stasiun Gambir, tapi dapat pula sesuai pesanan pemesan ingin diberangkatkan dari kota manapun.

Kereta wisata ini sebenarnya hanya gerbong ekslusif yang akan digabung dengan kereta umum saat digunakan. Tapi pengamanan dalam gerbong kereta wisata ini lebih ketat. Selain para penumpang kereta wisata, tidak ada yang bisa masuk walaupun berada dalam 1 kereta. Tak hanya pengamanan, kereta wisata ini juga disertai dengan tour leader yang dapat memenuhi kebutuhan para penumpangnya.

Masalah kelancaran perjalanan, Bambang S, Direktur Operasional PT Kereta Api Pariwisata mengatakan, jalur kereta yang ditempuh kereta wisata ini benar-benar dipastikan aman tanpa gangguan.

“Jalur kereta wisata benar-benar telah dipastikan keamanannya. Kami tidak akan mengoperasikan kereta di jalur yang bermasalah,” ucap Bambang saat menanggapi pencurian besi rel kereta.

Sejauh ini telah banyak yang telah menggunakan jasa kereta wisata ini. Sugeng menambahkan, rata-rata pengguna kereta wisata ini adalah perusahaan negara dan swasta, serta keluarga besar yang ingin berlibur menggunakan kereta.

News Source: Kompas

Re-written and Posted On Good News From Indonesia by Muhammad Q Rusydan

Not only that, the government also plans to build a new rail network along the 150 kilometers. This is related to government efforts to improve connectivity between regions. “We want to balance infrastructure development more evenly across Indonesia,” the president said when delivering his state address associated Bill on State Budget 2012 and its Financial Note before the Plenary Session of Parliament on Tuesday (16/08/2011) at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta.

Also present at the session of the Vice President Boediono, ministers of United Indonesia Cabinet II, the head of state high institutions, members of Parliament, members of the DPD, and others.

Meanwhile, to overcome the blockage of infrastructure and improving inter-regional connectivity, the government will use the capital expenditure budget in the Draft Budget 2012 for the construction of new roads and increase road capacity along the 4005 km.

In addition, the government also did preservation which includes maintenance and repairs along the 36,319 kilometers of roads, building new bridges over 7682 meters, and maintain a 217,076-meter long bridge across the corners of the country. “In the field of housing, the allocation of our capital expenditure plan to support the construction of 175 flats and modest rental apartment dwelling units and their supporting infrastructure as much as 48 twin blocks. The budget, will also be utilized to finance the construction of cheap houses as many as 62,500 units. To support the robustness food, we will build nine reservoirs and rehabilitating the 24 reservoirs. We will also complete construction of 87 ponds and rehabilitate 62 ponds, “he said.

On occasion, the President said, the budget allocation of capital expenditure on the state budget reached Rp 168.1 trillion, an increase of Rp 27.2 trillion or 19.3 percent of the APBN-P 2011.

Increased capital expenditure budget is higher, continued the President, was directed to support development of infrastructure, including energy infrastructure, food security, and communications as part of our effort to support the development and improvement of connectivity between regions.

Reposted on Good News From Indonesia by Arroisi

Garuda Indonesia di angkasa (Image by Anggaparamita)

Pesawat-pesawat baru Garuda Indonesia juga sudah berdatangan, mulai dari Airbus A330 yang besar, hingga Boeing 737-800NextGeneration berukuran sedang. Garuda juga sudah mengangkasa kembali di Eropa, dan berencana menambah tujuan tujuan baru di Eropa dan Amerika, dan memperkuat posisi di Asia dan Australia.

Belum lama ini, Citilink, anak usaha Garuda Indonesia sebagai budget wing juga mulai dikembangkan. Citilink selama ini dikenal sebagai maskapai yang so-so, akan disodori pesawat pesawat baru Airbus A320 dan A320Neo sebanyak total 25 unit. Pesawat-pesawat tersebut akan membawa Citilink menerbangi rute domestik, dan regional, seperti Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, dan Australia.

Bersama sama dengan maskapai nasional yang lain, tentu kita berharap dapat menjadi pemain penting di Asia, yang selama ini “dikuasai” oleh Singapore Airlines, Air Asia, ataupun Cathay Pacific.

Terbanglah makin tinggi burung burung besi Indonesia.

The aircraft will be operated by Garuda’s low-cost unit Citilink, replacing its fleet of Boeing 737-300s and -400s.

The engine selection for the aircraft will be announced “in the near future”, said Airbus.

Garuda signed a preliminary agreement for the aircraft during the Paris air show in June 2011.

News Source: Flight Global

National airline Garuda Indonesia plans to more than quadruple the amount of people that Citilink, its budget carrier, will fly in the next four years with new routes and aircraft, a top executive said on Wednesday.

Emirsyah Satar, president director of Garuda Indonesia, said the number of passengers expected to travel on Citilink would reach 8.3 million in 2015, from a forecast of 2 million this year. New overseas destinations will include Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.

“We want to revive Citilink, which has been a part of Garuda for a long time. The potential in the low-cost carrier market is big,” Emirsyah said.

The higher passenger volume is also expected to boost Citilink’s revenue contribution to Garuda to 30 percent, from the current 5 percent, said Elisa Lumbantoruan, Garuda’s finance director.

Garuda may also spin the unit off next year, followed by a possible initial public offering in 2015, he said.

Citilink’s expansion includes the arrival of five new Airbus A320s this month and 25 more starting in 2014. Eventually the aircraft will be the only one flown by Citilink after it phases out its six Boeing aircraft, making aircraft maintenance easier, Emisyah said.

“We’re also in the process of hiring the cabin and cockpit crew so we’ll be ready when the aircraft arrive,” he said.

Citilink is also changing its logo, taking on a predominantly green motif to appeal to a younger generation of consumers, including backpackers, Elisa said.

To help with marketing, it has hired Con Korfiatis, former chief executive at Viva Macau Airlines and JetStar Asia, as an adviser to Garuda’s Citilink expansion.

Lion Air subsidiary Wings Air of Indonesia today announced the signing of a contract for the purchase of 15 ATR 72-500s, as well as options covering another 15 of ATR’s new 72-600 series turboprops. The value of the order, originally revealed in November last year as a memorandum of understanding covering 10 ATR 72-500s plus options for 10 more ATR 72-500/600s, now amounts to some $600 million.

Configured with high-density, 72-seat cabins, the new airplanes will form the first fleet of ATR 72-500s in Indonesia and make Wings Air the largest ATR operator in the country. Schedules call for delivery of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M-powered turboprops between 2009 and 2011.

The entry into service of the aircraft will help Wings Air consolidate its leading position in a rapidly developing domestic market to develop feeder routes to serve Lion Air’s mainline jet network. Wings Air also plans to serve local communities that have historically suffered from a shortage of regular airline service. Meanwhile, Wings Air’s ATR 72-500s will replace MD-80 and Boeing 737-300/400 equipment and increase frequencies on existing routes operated with Lion Air’s 737-900ERs.

“The dependable support organization of ATR in Southeast Asia coupled with the success of its aircraft in our region are two major factors in our decision to introduce them in Indonesia,” said Rusdi Kirana, chairman of Wings Air and CEO of Lion Air.

“With the signature of this new contract, Wings Air will become one of our largest clients in Southeast Asia, a region that has been particularly fruitful for ATR in the last years, where some 70 ATRs are being operated daily,” added ATR CEO Stéphane Mayer.

Lion Air ranks as Indonesia’s largest private carrier and operates the world’s largest fleet of Boeing 737-900ERs. Established in 2002, Wings Air serves predominately regional and rural routes, and acts as a primary feeder for Lion Air’s mainline network.

News Source : ainonline.com by Gregory Polek

“Go-Jek is currently preparing a larger business plan,” Arthur Benjamin told the Jakarta Globe during his recent visit to the country.

The 64-year-old said Go-Jek’s Jakarta business model could be replicated overseas. In the next five years, he said, Go-Jek could expand to cities that share the same sort of traffic characteristics as Jakarta, such as Bangkok and Shanghai.

“I do not think it will work in the US, because there are hardly any traffic jams, and there are fewer motorcycles [than in Indonesia],” Benjamin said.

Go-Jek was the winner of the Global Entrepreneurship Program Indonesia on July 22. The Jakarta-based company, which manages a transportation and courier service by motorcycle taxi, was founded about a year ago by three Indonesians — Nadiem Makarim, Brian Cu and Michaelangelo Moran.

It managed to capture the US angel investor’s attention during a week of networking events held by GEPI. An angel investor is an investor that puts money into early-stage businesses that offer high returns, but also high risks.

Motorcycle taxis are common in developing nations such as India, Vietnam and Thailand. In developed countries, including the United States and in Europe, the service is more likely to cater to a niche market.

Go-Jek has formed partnerships with 200 ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers across Jakarta. It has more corporate clients than personal ones and receives about 60 bookings a day through its call center.

Ojek drivers pick up passengers, deliver parcels and perform other services. In the next year and a half, Go-Jek plans to double its work force.

“A potential start-up should have three elements,” Benjamin said. “A good idea that is marketable and has the potential to grow; solid management with a good leader, as well as a good operating manager and financial manager; and sufficient capital to launch,” he said.

By “sufficient” he meant having a capital reserve of at least 10 percent of total estimated funds needed to start the company.

Asked whether Go-Jek’s business model would be sustainable, Benjamin said it remained to be seen. Nevertheless, he said the business was suitable for cities where traffic was heavy.

Benjamin’s focus is developing the company’s call-center operations and helping it grow and become a mature company, either by merging with a larger entity or listing on the stock market.

Based on Go-Jek’s business plan, Benjamin said the company could become profitable by next year. “The return of investment could take five to seven years,” he said.

As an angel investor, Benjamin said he only invested in companies with high growth potential. “The American companies that I have invested in usually generate up to 10 times the return of investment between that period,” he said. Standard practice in the United States is a return of three times the investment in five years, he said.

Benjamin’s visit to Indonesia was his first, and he said he was impressed by the entrepreneurial spirit here.

“I came to Indonesia as a participant in GEPI with no plan to invest,” Benjamin said, declining to disclose details of his minority stake in Go-Jek.

“Indonesia is a promising country with high user density of Internet and hard-working young people. I am sure that Go-Jek will attract other companies.”

Learn more about Go-Jek at www.go-jek.com

News Source: Jakarta Globe

Lombok International Airport (BIL), located in Tanah Awu, Pujut sub-district, Central Lombok district, is about 40 kilometers south of the old Mataram Selaparang Airport.

The BIL worth 945.8 billion rupiah has a passenger terminal measuring 21 thousand square meters or four times wider than that of Selaparang Mataram Airport which is only 4,796 square meters. One US dollar is about 9,000 rupiah.

The operational and technical director of state-owned airport management company PT Angkasa Pura-I, Haryoso Catur Prayitno, said in Central Lombok recently, the BIL`s passenger accommodating capacity is three million passengers a year with a parking area of 17,500 square meters, while Selaparang airport`s parking lot is only 7,334 square meters.

In addition, the BIL has a runway of 2,750 meters x 40 meters square, so it can accommodate ten Air Bus 330 or Boeing 767 air planes, Haryoso said.

The Lombok International Airport, according to Harsono, is located on 551 hectares of land, which is about 40 kilometers south of Mataram Selaparang Airport.

Haryoso made the statement when accompanying the NTB governor M Zainul Majdi at time of inaugurating the accelerating program of the road infrastructure development in Praya, Central Lombok district on Saturday (July 30/2011).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to inaugurate the Lombok International Airport on October 1 this year, the governor said.

“The president will inaugurate the airport. He even has asked the state secretariat to manage a two-day lodging in Central Lombok,” the governor said.

The governor knew the president`s readiness to inaugurate the international airport when he met President Yudhoyono at the presidential palace in Jakarta on July 21, 2011.

His meeting with the president at the moment relating to the matters of governance and development in the region.

Governor M Zainul Majdi is chairman of the Democratic party provincial executive board, while Yudhoyono is the chief patron of the ruling Democratic party.

In addition to inaugurating the airport, the president is also expected to have meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister which will take place in Central Lombok district.

In the meantime, Vice President Boediono when visiting NTB province on July 11, asked the airport management company PT Angkasa Pura-I, Haryoso Catur Prayitno to accelerate the airport construction development.

“The sooner is the better,” the vice president said, adding that the Lombok International Airport is important for the NTB`s economic development, especially relating to the provincial wish to prioritize the tourism development.

“I feel since the beginning that this is the key point for NTB`s further development. It`s very strategic, especially when tourism is managed as the provincial focus of attention, so airport is very important,” Boediono said.

The Vice President then got around the Lombok International Airport terminal building that is still unfinished yet.

“God willing, on September 31 (red.) 30, everything is finished so it can be fully operated on October 1,” Haryoso said, explaining that the airport simulations will be conducted on September 5-8, 2011.

Actually the Lombok International Airport was initially expected to be operational in July 2011, but it was postponed due to the expansion of the airport terminal area from 14,000 square meters to 21,000 square meters. Thus, the BIL project work was increased.

NTB has a number of tourist resorts, among others the Senggigi beach, Cakranegara, Gili Air, Gili Meno, Gili Trawangan, Gili Bidara, Gili Lawang, Narmada park and Mayura park.

Apart from that, Mount Rinjani, Kuta Beach Lombok, the water falls of Sendang Gile, Tiu Kelep, Benang Stokel, Benang Kelambu.

The Lombok Island topography is dominated by the Mount Rinjani (3,726 meters above sea level) which is the third highest in Indonesia.

Aside from that Lombok also offered its culinary including “Ayam Taliwang” or a kind of fried chicken and “Plecing Kankung”, vegetable like sauteed kale which can lure more tourists to come.

In many ways, Lombok is similar to Bali, and foreign tourists began recognizing Lombok in the decade of the 1990s.

About 80 percent of the Island population is the Sasak tribe, a tribe that is still close to the Balinese ethnic, but mostly converted to Islam. The remaining population is Balinese, Javanese, Chinese and Arabic.

With lots of tourism potentials, the NTB province has a dire need to have an international airport because the aviation transport limitations has so far become one of obstacles to develop tourism sector in this province towards the Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 Visit.

The Lombok-Sumbawa 2012 Visit has targeted as many as one million tourist arrivals in this province.

News Source: ANTARA News

“However, services offered by the airport shall be modern and will live up to the terms of a world-class airport,” Angkasa Pura II president director Tri Sunoko said.

Work to turn Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport into a world-class international gateway by 2014 will begin early next year, initially with the drafting of the grand design. State airport operator Angkasa Pura II’s finance director Laurensius Manurung earlier said that Rp 11.7 trillion would be spent on the overhaul. The plans include expanding the airport’s Terminal 3 and integrating Terminals 1 and 2. Tri Sunoko pointed out that it was hoped in the immediate years to come, the airport would be able to accommodate 62 million passengers.

Terminal 3, for instance, will be developed into a U-shaped building which can accommodate all of the passengers’ operational activities, such as passenger services, baggage handling, transit passenger services, transfer passenger services, and commercial facilities.

taken from TEMPO Interactive

One of the areas of focus is the development and establishment of human resources in the airline business. For this reason, Garuda Indonesia will buy two Airbus 330-200 and Boeing 737-800 NG simulators which will become part of the GITC training in December. The purchase is expected to cost US$ 15-20 million.

Since 2008, Garuda has been the only airline in Indonesia certified by the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Only 234 airlines worldwide have such certificates, which are audited every two years. “The audit is more comprehensive on 850 items,” said Garuda CEO Emirsyah Satar.

Source: TEMPO Interactive

Reposted on Good News From Indonesia by Farah Fitriani

According to the Commercial Director of PT KAI, Sulistyo Wimbo Hardjito, there is no different ticket fares between Argo that equipped by wi fi and the regular Argo. the ticket of both of the Argos costs the same, 650K IDR. “Hopefully our efforts in comforting passengers can be successful, especially when they are in the station or on the go. So don’t worry about losing phone service,” he continued.

In addition, PT KAI also installs plugs in each train that can be used to re-charge cell phone or laptop battery. They also installed a free public telephone in every area of the station. “We have six new stations that provide free public telephones, they are Gambir Jakarta, Bandung, Cirebon, Semarang, Surabaya, and Yogyakarta,” he explained.

President Director of XL, Hasnul Suhaimi said that Train is one of the most favorite transportation which carries millions of passengers throughout the year, especially when Idul Fitri arrived. In addition, he said, in Indonesia there are no trains that have Internet service until this day.

“This idea came from Japan, where the passengers never sleep. They use cell phone or laptop to go online. So, that’s the idea that being implemented in Indonesia,” said Hasnul.

Source: Vivanews

Translated and Rewritten for Good News From Indonesia by Yulita Saumsinar
Edited by Farah Fitriani

The statement was to clarify earlier news that AirAsia will move its headquarter  from Malaysia to Indonesia. The management explained that the branch office in Jakarta  will be called the AirAsia ASEAN, which is under AirAsia.

The decision to choose Jakarta as the location of regional office is because ASEAN Secretariat is located  in Jakarta. So this will help AirAsia more effectively present their ideas related to regional aviation and tourism growth.
This is relevant because Indonesia ,as the current chairman of ASEAN, is committed to implement the ASEAN Connectivity initiative, he said. ”Also, Indonesia’s growth indicates an increased contribution to GDP of ASEAN in the next few years, and AirAsia will continue making ASEAN office in Jakarta to help increasing our visibility and profile in the most populous country in the region,” he said.

Source: id.berita.yahoo.com

Posted on Good News From Indonesia by Elvira Silviani