PT Pelita Air Service, trading as Pelita Air, is a domestic[a] airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia.[2] Its main operating base is Soekarno Hatta International Airport, and it is headquartered at Pondok Cabe Airport.[3][4] Pelita Air is listed in category 1 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.[5]
.png){kind=small} | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1963 (as Pertamina Air Service)2022 (as Pelita Air Service) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | April 28, 2022 (as Pelita Air Service) | ||||||
| Hubs | Soekarno–Hatta International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Juanda International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 20 | ||||||
| Destinations | 11 | ||||||
| Parent company | Pertamina | ||||||
| Headquarters | Jakarta, Indonesia | ||||||
| Key people | Dendy Kurniawan (President & CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
Early years (1963-1970)
The airline started its history in 1963 when Pertamina established an air transportation service division named Pertamina Air Service to support employee mobility. On January 24, 1970, the division was officially separated into a separate company under the name "PT Pelita Air Service". The company also provides air transportation services for the oil and gas industry in Indonesia on a rental system.
New ventures (1987-2020)
On November 24, 1987, the company established PT Indopelita Aircraft Services (IAS) to provide maintenance services for rotating components, such as turbines, compressors and pumps, as well as general and field mechanical services. IAS also offers a digital control system to monitor equipment performance.
In 2000, this company provided scheduled flight services under the name "Pelita AirVenture". It ceased schedule flights in 2005 citing tough competition in the scheduled aviation sector. In 2016, this company started to provide transportation services fuel oil. In the same year, the company formed an Airport Strategic Business Unit (SBU) in charge of managing Pertamina's airports. In 2019, SBU Airport started managing three airports owned by Pertamina, namely Pondok Cabe Airport, Pinang Kampai Airport, and Warukin Airport. In 2020, the company started to provide general cargo transportation services.[6][7]
Relaunch as a scheduled airline (2021-present)
In late 2021, Indonesian media reported that the Indonesian Ministry of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) had plans to have Pelita Air replace the financially-ailing flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, citing the latter's high debt.[8][9] In November 2021, The ministry's plan for the airline to start scheduled flights was followed by an aircraft lease order for several Airbus A320 aircraft, during which time the airline had applied for an air operator's certificate (AOC).[10][11]
On April 28, 2022, the airline launched operations as a scheduled carrier with a flight from Jakarta to Denpasar.[12] The regular flights to Bali were later followed by flights to Yogyakarta on June 20, 2022 with more routes from Jakarta planned.[13][14] Upon the launch of regular services, the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir, stated that Pelita Air will be solely focusing on the domestic market as opposed to flying international routes, referring to the size of the domestic Indonesian aviation market.[15] However, later in 2022, reports emerged of plans for the airline to start Hajj operations to Saudi Arabia in 2023.[16]
Destinations
As of December 2023, Pelita Air serves scheduled flights to eight Indonesian destinations out of its hub at Soekarno Hatta International Airport:
Fleet
Current fleet
As of May 2024[update], Pelita Air operates the following aircraft:[4]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 11 | 55[24] | — | 180 | 180 | |
| 12 | 138 | 150 | Ex-Alaska Airlines aircraft. | |||
| ATR 42-500 | 1 | 0 | — | 48 | 48 | Used for charter operations.[25] |
| ATR 72-500 | 1 | 0 | — | 66 | 66 | |
| BAe Avro RJ85 | 1 | 0 | VIP | Operating for the Indonesian Government | ||
| Bell 412[26] | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | Charter | |
| MBB Bo 105[26] | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | Charter | |
| Pelita Air cargo fleet | ||||||
| ATR 72-500F | 3 | — | Cargo | Converted into freighters, operating for Angkasa Pura Logistics. | ||
| Total | 20 | 55 | ||||
Historical fleet
The airline's historic fleet includes the following aircraft: [27] [28]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aérospatiale SA300J Puma[29] | 1 | 16 | Registered as PK-PEN |
| Aérospatiale SA330F[29] | 1 | 16 | Registered as PK-PDW |
| BAC One-Eleven[29] | 2 | 89 | |
| BAe 146-200[30] | 1 | - | The only BAe 146-200 in the fleet |
| Bell 212[31] | 1 | 15 | The only Bell 212, Registered as PK-PDZ |
| Boeing 707-3M1C | 1 | VVIP | Registered as PK-PJQ, was used by Sempati Air in Aug 1977, transferred to the Indonesian Government in July 1979, and then to the Indonesian Air Force as A-7002 in Nov 1982. After a lease back to Pelita in 1985, the aircraft was leased to Garuda Indonesia in 1989 as PK-GAU [32] |
| CASA C-212 Aviocar[26] | 11 | 19 | PK-PCL crashed in Mount Lokon,[33] PK-PCM crashed while En Route between Palembang & Jakarta,[34] and PK-PCX crashed in Mount Cemonyet while flying in bad weather [35] |
| De Havilland Dash 7 | 6 | 50 | |
| De Havilland DHC-3 Otter | — | - | Unidentified numbers of aircraft in the fleet, Two aircraft registered as PK-PHA & PK-PHB crashed in 1965. |
| Fokker 100[36] | 6 | — | F100s were used for passenger flights, all of the F100s are (Presumably) scrapped. |
| Fokker 70[37] | 1 | — | The only Fokker 70 in the fleet |
| Fokker 50[29] | 3 | — | Fokker 50's were used for passenger flights |
| Fokker 28-4000[29] | 5 | — | PK-PJK had an APU Fire after landing in Jalaluddin Airport, Gorontalo. Aircraft damage was minor and the aircraft was able to be repaired [38] |
| Fokker 28-1000[29] | 4 | — | |
| Fokker F27 Friendship | 6 | — | back then, F27s were used to transport Cargo & Employees. One crashed as PK-PFB, another crashed as PK-PFC in Misool Island due to fuel shortage [39] & one being registered as PK-CFD (Operated by PT. Caltex Pacific Indonesia) |
| Grumman G-111 Albatross | 3 | — | only 3 G-111s were in the fleet, PK-VAA crashed landed near Seletar [40] (Registration PK-PAM that was formerly used to one of the G-111 was re-used for the ATR 72-500) |
| Gulfstream II | 2 | — | Both registered as PK-PJG & PK-PJZ |
| Gulfstream III | 1 | — | Only 1 aircraft in the fleet, Registered as PK-PJA |
| Hawker Siddeley 125-600B[29] | 2 | — | Both registered as PK-PJD & PK-PJE |
| Hawker Siddeley 125-3B/RA | 1 | — | Only one in the fleet, Registered as PK-PJR |
| IPTN NAS 332C Super Puma[29] | 2 | 24 (?) | Both registered as PK-PUG & PK-PUH |
| King Air 350[41] | 1 | — | The only King Air 350 in the fleet, Registered as PK-RJR |
| L-1329 JetStar 731 | 1 | — | The only Jestar 731 in the fleet, Registered as PK-PJH |
| Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules[42] | 5 | Cargo | L-100s used for Transmigration & Cargo services, one crashed in Hong Kong as PK-PLV,[43] one crash landed in Jayapura as PK-PLU,[44] and one with an unidenfitied registration overran in South Sudan [45] |
| NAMC YS-11 | 2 | 64 | one of the few NAMC YS-11 operators in Indonesia, both aircraft being registered as PK-PYV & PK-PYW [46] |
| Shorts S.7 Skyvan 3 | 3 | 19 | Only 3 in the fleet, Registered as PK-PSC, PK-PSF, and PK-PSG |
| Transall C-160NG[26] | 5 | Cargo | Two was later used by Manunggal Air & was written off due to an accident, both aircraft registered as PK-VTP & PK-VTQ |
Accidents and incidents
- On 6 December 2023, an Airbus A320 registration PK-PWD with flight number IP205, which was to fly from Surabaya to Jakarta, canceled its takeoff due to a bomb threat at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. All passengers were asked to disembark, one person was secured by officers. [47]
Notes
References
External links
