Pelita Air, Indonesia’s state-owned chartered airline company, will begin scheduled operations on April 28 with a fleet of two Airbus A320s that were delivered on April 11.
To make the most of Indonesia’s peak holiday season of Lebaran (Eid al Fitr), which stretches from April 29 to May 6, the airline will operate the busy trunk routes of Jakarta-Makassar and Jakarta-Bali.
Muhammad Fauzani, acting president director of Pelita Air, said in a statement that the new fleet represents the airline’s readiness to serve regular flights.
Pelita Air also intends to serve other popular business and tourist cities of Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Banjarmasin.
Bambang Sugiono, director of marketing and overseas promotion of Bali-based RD Tours, welcomes the airline’s entry into scheduled air services, as additional seat capacity will only facilitate domestic travel to Bali, which is on the rise ever since Indonesia eased travel restrictions.
Bambang said Pelita Air’s “timing is right”, as the school holidays as well as the European summer travel season are round the corner in July and August.
“European travellers transiting in Jakarta, such as those flying with Qatar Airways, can take Pelita Air to Bali,” he projected.
Sebastian Ng, managing director of Incito Vacations, expects Pelita Air’s scheduled flights to expand flight options and aid travel recovery.
He said Pelita Air’s services to Makassar is a good choice, as the destination is popular with both leisure and business travellers and is recognised as a business hub between the western and eastern parts of Indonesia.
