Saving Garuda

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Passengers enter the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, the Garuda Indonesia airline at Rendani Airport, Manokwari, West Papua, Thursday (22/4/2021).

The world is still full of uncertainty. The International Air Transport Association and Tourism Economics predicts that the aviation industry will only recover in 2023.

Under such a condition, national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia must keep flying. The distance from Sabang to Merauke is equivalent to the distance from London to Baghdad, with a landscape in the form of islands. The services of airlines whose safety can be trusted must absolutely be there.

Garuda Indonesia, as the national airline, should also ideally exist to "maintain" air transportation services in the archipelago as well as in the world. Handing over air transportation only to an airline group is certainly not healthy. Excellent services for passengers are logically also the fruit of competition among the airlines. Imagine the extent of commotion of flight services without competition. Imagine Indonesia without Garuda Indonesia.

Garuda Indonesia, as the national airline, should also ideally exist to "maintain" air transportation services in the archipelago as well as in the world.

The current situation is indeed cause for concern. Not only for Garuda Indonesia, but also for various industries such as retail, which has recently been in the spotlight. Garuda\'s management has to undergo negotiation by negotiation, including by saving what can be saved. In short, this is when the management and employees of Garuda Indonesia should work hard while living with concern.

The public will clearly observe the seriousness of Garuda Indonesia in facing this crisis. To what extent, for example, efficiency or downsizing has been carried out, before the public can finally tolerate capital loans or injections of any kind for Garuda.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Boeing 737-800 aircraft Garuda Indonesia and Batik Air are at Rendani Airport, Manokwari, West Papua, Thursday (22/4/2021).

The huge debt that is burdening Garuda should also be believed to have been triggered by management steps before the Covid-19 pandemic storm. Mapping the problem correctly is important so that the solution can also be right. Who knows, there will be negotiations that could be done with any airplane leasing company, armed with evidence of improper decision making in the past.

Business diversification, even though it must be carried out in a measured manner, can be done to support the operationalization of Garuda. Management can expand Garuda\'s logistics business.

Without our support, it would be difficult for Garuda to survive.

Tony Fernandes, the founder of AirAsia airline, last year moved quickly to establish AirAsia Food. From Malaysia, now AirAsia Food has penetrated Singapore. AirAsia\'s new business is certainly dealing with similar services offered by Grab or Gojek, but that is a struggle to survive.

We certainly agree that Garuda should not be allowed to collapse. There is no great country that does not fly its own fleet of planes to the major cities of the world. However, without our support, it would be difficult for Garuda to survive. As much as possible, let us fly with Garuda planes to help save the airline that is the pride of Indonesia. We help Garuda Indonesia, the Indonesian wing.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.