Ready for take off.... (hopefully)

Delayed flights is a common thing in aviation, but not this late :)

Well, as people always say, better late than never. Hopefully my blogs can really spread their wings and more importantly soaring high.

There have been so many news and development in the past while this blog was inactive.

At home, how the LCC are not so low-cost anymore as they started to use the ceiling price and charge for checked baggage. For popular routes, it is better to simply take the full service airlines. The LCC, however, may still rule in the routes less flown, especially to smaller towns or those linking secondary cities.

The aviation sector is also waiting for the fate of Airbus-Emirates deal on more orders for Airbus A380 jumbo jets. Will we soon see the demise of A380, the toppled King of the Sky?

A different story is for the Queen of the Sky who is celebrating her 50 years. It turned out to be that Boeing 747 and I share the same birthweek and not that many years apart. (ouch..... I am getting old, soon).

Another attempt

After being abandoned for quite some time, I will try to revive this blog. Finger crossed.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines' Xian MA-60 at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport. Taken on June 10, 2011.

Pesawat kitiran aka baling-baling

Banyak orang di Indonesia yang tidak mau naik pesawat kitiran atau baling-baling dengan alasan "pesawatnya kecil", "guncangannya terasa sekali" dan beribu satu alasan lainnya.

Yang paling kacau adalah alasan teknologi pesawat baling2 sudah kuno dan ketinggalan zaman.

Kalau alasannya karena takut goncangan sih masih bisa dimaklumi karena pesawat kitiran rata2 kecil sehingga lebih rentan terkena guncangan atau turbulensi seperti misalnya kelas Cessna 172 atau NC-212. Tapi toh ada juga pesawat baling-baling yang sebesar "Gaban" seperti C-130 Hercules dan A-400M Atlas.

Kalau dipikir2 lagi, sebagian orang yang "menolak" naik pesawat kitiran adalah orang2 yang sombong karena hanya mau naik pesawat jet. Kenapa sombong? Karena mereka hanya tahu kota besar yang memiliki bandara besar yang dapat didarati oleh pesawat jet.

Mereka tidak tahu bahwa tidak semua bandara di Indonesia dapat didarati oleh pesawat jet dan bagaimana peaswat baling2 yang kecil itu telah menghubungkan berbagai kota dan daerah terpencil di Indonesia dengan pusat2 keramaian.

Semua jenis pesawat sudah ada peruntukannya, mulai dari yang kecil mungil sampai yang raksasa.

RBA on flight training

C295 or NC295 or CN295 at HLP

Aft starboard view

Ready to fly again

Requesting permission to take off.

Merpati Nusantara Airline's MA-60 at HLP.

Bloomberg reported that Brazil seeks Embraer order from fighter jet supplier

Indonesia harus bisa meniru Brazil dalam soal penanganan akuisisi sistem persenjataan sehingga tidak merugikan industri dalam negeri. Brazil mensyaratkan pembelian 12 pesawat angkut jet Embraer KC-390 untuk pembelian 36 pesawat tempur yang sedang dalam proses tender. Ini baru offset tingkat tinggi.

Berikut laporannya dari Bloomberg:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aA31lkXXe2oY

Dirgantara, GMF renew maintenance deal

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

Replacing a 2003 agreement, the new agreement will be valid for three years and covers general maintenance, parts and components, tools and equipment, testing and laboratory services and engineering services.

The new agreement also deals with marketing, repairs, modifications, aircraft, components and systems overhaul, spare parts procurement, manufacturing services, IT, training and the utilization of facilities and other capabilities.

Richard said local repairs and overhaul firms only absorbed around 30 percent of the total domestic aircraft maintenance spending - worth US$750 million in 2009. He expected this market to expand to around $2 billion by 2014.

Budi said Dirgantara had plenty of facilities that could be used by GMF, including a surface treatment facility certified by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractor Program, which could reduce GMF's dependence on foreign parties. - JP

First published on The Jakarta Post on Saturday, April 3, 2010

GMF receives EASA rating for Airbus A320

JAKARTA: State-owned aircraft producer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) and PT GMF AeroAsia, renewed their agreement for aircraft maintenance recently.

The new agreement was signed Thursday by Dirgantara president director Budi Santoso and GMF president director and CEO Richard Budihadianto, in Bandung.

Both companies announced the new agreement in a joint media statement sent Thursday.

Replacing a 2003 agreement, the new agreement will be valid for three years and covers general maintenance, parts and components, tools and equipment, testing and laboratory services and engineering services.

The new agreement also deals with marketing, repairs, modifications, aircraft, components and systems overhaul, spare parts procurement, manufacturing services, IT, training and the utilization of facilities and other capabilities.

Richard said local repairs and overhaul firms only absorbed around 30 percent of the total domestic aircraft maintenance spending - worth US$750 million in 2009. He expected this market to expand to around $2 billion by 2014.

Budi said Dirgantara had plenty of facilities that could be used by GMF, including a surface treatment facility certified by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractor Program, which could reduce GMF's dependence on foreign parties. — JP

First published on The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Emirates to fly twice daily from Jakarta

Nani Afrida and Novan Iman Santosa

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based airline Emirates is set to launch twice daily flights from Jakarta to Dubai starting March 1.

"The launch of the double daily flight between Jakarta and Dubai is Emirates' response to increasing demand from both business and leisure travelers," Emirates' Indonesia country manager Mohamed Al Nahari said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Al Nahari said in 2009 the airlines flew the route 11 times a week.

He said the additional flights would increase capacity by more than 2,600 seats per week, to bring weekly capacity up to 12,000 seats.

Using Boeing the 777 jetliner, Emirates has 42 business-class seats and 385 to 400 economy-class seats depending on aircraft type.

Emirates flights EK 356 and EK 358 depart Dubai at 4:40 a.m. and 10:25 a.m. respectively. Flights EK 357 and EK 359 leave Jakarta at 5:45 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. respectively.

Emirates sales manager Ilonka Leiwakabessy said the airline was aiming to serve a new corporate travel market in addition to haj and umrah (minor haj) pilgrims.

"Corporate travelers are independent of events like pilgrimages. They can depart at any time," she said.

She said there was sales growth in 2009 without giving any figures.

Al Nahari said Emirates' double daily flight would support government plans to increase arrivals from Middle Eastern countries by up to 100,000 in 2010.

"We are delighted to be able to provide our passengers with a greater choice of flight options," he said.

Emirates will start four new routes including to Tokyo on March 28, Amsterdam on May 1, Prague on July 1 and Madrid on Aug. 1.

In the financial year ending Sept. 30, 2009, Emirates booked US$205 million in net profits.

Emirates announced Tuesday the appointment of PT VFS Services Indonesia, to set up a Dubai visa application and processing Center (DVPC), effective since January 2010.

"The partnership will offer benefits to our passengers who require a visa to enter Dubai. The passengers will get Dubai visas within a short time period of three to four working days," Al Nahari said.

"Passengers who use this service are not required to have local sponsors while staying in Dubai."

VFS head of operations Southeast Asia Bernard Vijaykumar said that the firm would be able to handle about 800 applicants a day.

"Visa applicants only need to submit copies of their passports with their documents and not the original ones," he said.

"This will allow applicants to apply for visas to other countries requiring original passports."

First published on The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010