Merpati (Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) has garnered the attention of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (Zhukovsky) and Xian Aircraft Company (Xi'an Yanliang), both of whom have expressed an interest in taking over the now defunct Indonesian carrier.
The Jakarta Globe reports that both manufacturers have already sent a letter of interest to Indonesia's Minister of State-owned Enterprises, Dahlan Iskan.
Though Xian currently holds an advantage over its Russian counterpart given Merpati's fifteen-strong fleet of MA-60s, Sukhoi intends to furnish the airline with both aircraft and financing.
“Still, there should be more discussion, which may not be resolved in such a short time,” Iskan said.
Merpati suspended operations in February as a consequence of IDR6.7trillion (USD549million) in debts owed to various government firms and suppliers.
