Indonesia's civil aviation regulator (Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Udara - DJPU) awarded BBN Airlines Indonesia (7B, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) an air operator's certificate (AOC) on August 31, paving the way for its first flights, according to CEO Martynas Grigas.
The start-up, whose ultimate parent company is Avia Solutions Group, is launching in Indonesia as an ACMI and charter specialist. The airline says it aims to tackle capacity challenges across the Southern Hemisphere. BBN Airlines Indonesia presently has two B737-800(BCF)s registered as PK-BBA (msn 29790) and PK-BBN (msn 33805). PK-BBA ferried to Indonesia in June, and PK-BBN arrived in late July and completed its proving flights in late August. Grigas says he hopes to commence revenue flights in September and plans to have nine aircraft on the ground in Indonesia by the end of the year.
"This achievement is a resounding testament to our entire BBN Airlines Indonesia team's dedication, perseverance, and collaborative spirit," Grigas said in a statement. "We are poised to deliver world-class aviation services that prioritise safety, comfort, and reliability."
BBN Airlines Indonesia is the third local cargo airline recently granted its AOC, with Raindo United Services (R0, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) and Express Cargo Airlines also securing their permits in August. The three go-to-fly start-ups boost the number of cargo airlines based in Indonesia from four to seven. In the run-up to securing their AOCs, the promoters of the three airlines variously stressed how underserved the Indonesian market is and noted the opportunities there. BBN Airlines Indonesia ultimately plans to have a mix of both passenger-configured aircraft and freighters. Grigas has previously stated that once up and running, he eventually wants to secure some widebody passenger aircraft to target the significant demand for pilgrimage flights from Indonesia.
