TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Merpati Nusantara Airlines aims to fly again after five years of staying on ground. The 56-year-old state airline is waiting for a verdict from the Surabaya Commercial Court’s judges on November 14 about the fate of its debt postponement (PKPU) filed by one of its thousands of lenders, PT Parewa Aero Katering.
If judges approved and creditors agreed for settlement, there is a chance for Merpati to operate again. However, its biggest lender—the Finance Ministry—had refused the company’s request for settlement.
According to president director Asep Eka Nugraha, the airline has obtained funding commitment from PT Intra Asia Corpora worth Rp6.4tn. “We hope that Merpati will be given a chance to resume operations,” he said on Monday, November 12.
As of today, Merpati owes a total debt of RP10.94tn to thousands of creditors, the top three being the ministry, Bank Mandiri, and PT PPA.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government supports Merpati’s debt restructuring. If the company goes bankrupt, she said, the government will only get the money that the airline owes.
KORAN TEMPO
