JakartaPost-May 6
Flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia has grounded 15 aircraft following delays in routine maintenance and shortages of spare parts. The majority of the grounded planes are operated by its low-cost subsidiary PT Citilink. Garuda Indonesia technical director Rahmat Hanafi said on Monday that one Garuda aircraft and 14 Citilink planes were awaiting heavy maintenance checks, which would include comprehensive inspections and component replacements. The national carrier contributed 26.6 percent of total passengers traveling domestic routes in 2023, according to Transportation Ministry data. It was second only to Lion Air group, which contributed 49 percent of the total. “The entire maintenance process is planned to be carried out this year,” Rahmat said, as quoted by Bisnis.com. Spare part shortages are affecting nearly all global airlines, Rahmat noted, leading to longer turnaround times for heavy maintenance checks. He added that the company was working to maximize its maintenance capacity despite industry-wide disruptions. Garuda Indonesia grounded some of its planes as the company was struggling to make maintenance payments, Bloomberg previously reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Some suppliers to the flag carrier have begun requesting advance payments for parts and labor due to concerns over the company’s financial situation, the sources said, raising doubts about the company’s long-term recovery plan. The airline had 66 aircraft in service and 14 in storage, according to the latest data available from Cirium, which tracks airline fleets. With about 140 aircraft total, the current grounding means roughly 10 percent of Garuda’s fleet is out of service, which is significantly higher than the Southeast Asian average of 2 to 3 percent, according to Bloomberg calculations using data from Airfleets.net. The flag carrier’s woes mirror a broader crunch facing domestic airlines. A government-imposed price cap on domestic airfares is meant to keep tickets affordable, but it has made it harder for airlines to cover rising expenses. Read more at:
