.. more about Merpati from today's
Jakarta Post.
Merpati looks to buy US$1.2b airplanes
The Jakarta Post | Tue, 02/21/2012 10:42 AM
JAKARTA: Ailing state-owned airline company PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines plans to buy 40 100-seat ARJ 21-700 jet aircraft from China for approximately US$1.2 billion, a company executive said.
Merpati’s president director Sardjono Jhony said Monday that Merpati has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), AVIC International Holding Corporation and state aircraft firm PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) to buy the planes.
“This year is our golden anniversary and we aim to fly higher and grow stronger,” he told The Jakarta Post.
The airline will receive four RJ 21-700 units in 2013 and the rest will arrive gradually until 2017, Jhony said. “By the end of 2017 we will have 75 airplanes.”
The airline currently has 35 aircraft; 25 of them are operating in a daily basis, including six Boeing 737 series units, five Twin Otters, two Casas, one Fokker-100 and 11 MA 60 11 units.