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Malaysia Airlines Engineering & Maintenance will provide
maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to PT Eka Sari Lorena
Airlines' (Lorena Air) new fleet of six Boeing 737 aircraft under a
three year agreement worth US$48 million.
The agreement was signed last week in Malaysia by Lorena Air's CEO, Eka
Sari Lorena Surbakti, and the senior general manager of Malaysia
Airlines (MAS) Mohd. Roslan Ismail, a statement says.
The full-service airline, a subsidiary of Lorena Transport Group, will
commence scheduled services in August with routes from its base in
Jakarta to Surabaya (East Java), Denpasar (Bali), Balikpapan (East
Kalimantan), Manado (North Sulawesi), Palembang (South Sumatra) and
Kuala Lumpur.
Lorena Group -- best known as a luxury bus operator on the islands of
Java, Madura, Bali and Sumatra -- plans to increase its fleet to 15
Boeing passenger jets over the coming years.
"MAS's worldwide experience and MRO capabilities, together with our
engineering team, will definitely help us sustain our goal of ensuring
the best global companies support our operations," said Eka Sari.
Roslan said the six B737s were expected to be ready for service by
September this year.
"Our entire staff is firmly focused on providing Lorena Air and all of
our other customers the best services possible as we continue to build
upon our existing business relationships and remain a preferred MRO
provider," said Roslan.
With years of experience in the transportation business, Lorena says
the airline has what it takes to be successful, even at a time when the
country's airline industry is reeling.
Indonesia's aviation industry has taken a hit from a series of deadly
accidents, raising serious questions about the industry's safety
standards and forcing the European Union to ban all Indonesian airlines
from its jurisdiction.
Saudi Arabia is also considering a similar ban.
"The agreement shows that we are serious about our services and safety
standards," Eka Sari said.
MAS Engineering and Maintenance commenced operations in 1972 and has
over 30 years of experience in the MRO business. It has obtained
approval to carry out maintenance work from international bodies such
as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and the U.S. Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA).
To date, it has obtained approval from airlines in 14 countries for
certification of component work and aircraft maintenance, including Air
France, KLM and Qantas Airways.
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