Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Merpati Nusantara Airline plans to operate 60 new planes in the next five years under a joint operation scheme with China Aircraft Leasing Company (CALC), Merpati vice president for corporate communication Herry Saptanto said.

"We have signed an agreement with CLAC to operate 60 planes, consisting of 20 Airbus A320s, 20 Embraer ERJs, and 20 MA600s," he said here on Tuesday.

The plan to operate 60 new planes under a joint operation scheme is part of reborn Merpati program aimed at expanding the state airline company`s business, he said.

Merpati which used to have a fleet of 100 planes currently operates 22 planes.

Under the scheme, the two companies will share profit from the operation of the 60 planes, he said.

"We have convinced the investor that we can manage the airline company properly," he said.

Merpati also has adopted a new system in managing aircraft maintenance according to the Civil Aviation Safety Regulation and the decision of the Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operation, he said.

"PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines also has bought a new iFlight MRO (Maintenance, Repair, & Overhaul) system, a software application capable of supporting maintenance planning, spare part purchase, airplane maintenance and maintenance control," he said.

The software application is an essential need to operate planes particularly with regard to flight safety, he said.

The iFlight MRO was made by IBS, which is one of eight leading information technology companies in India according to the Red Herring of California magazine, he said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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