Makassar (ANTARA News) - State-owned Merpati Nusantara Airlines (MNA) had been losing in 11 years of its operations since 1998 and began to improve its financial conditions only in October 2008, its chief said.

"For 11 years until October 1998, MNA continued to suffer a loss with a sharp graphic. Only in October 2008 could its financial performance be improved and profit be obtained," MNA President Director Bambang Bhakti said on the sidelines of his visit here on Wednesday.

He said that the profit the state-owned airlines gained in 2009 was not too big because some of the income was used for investment procurement of computers and new airplanes and for other uses.

This year Merpati booked an income of Rp2 trillion, or about 10 percent of the income of state-owned Garuda Indonesia airlines which reached more than Rp20 trillion.

In 2009, MNA purchased six new planes to increase the number of its fleet to 24.

MNA plans to increase the number of its fleet to 46 in 2010. It now flies 150 flight routes and has plan to increase its flight routes to 250 next year.

"Most of the routes are domestic flights. Merpati at present only serves two international fights, namely Kuala Lumpur and Dili," he said.(*)

Editor: B Kunto Wibisono
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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