Pelita Air is a scheduled airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia."Contact Us." () Pelita Air Service. "Jalan Abdul Muis No. 52 – 56 A Jakarta 10160 Indonesia" It is owned by oil and gas company Pertamina, a subsidiary of Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara. Its main operating base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, and it is headquartered at Pondok Cabe Airport. Pelita Air is listed in category 1 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.

History

Early years (1963–1970) The airline started its history in 1963 when Pertamina established an air transportation service division named Pertamina Air Service to support employee mobility. On 24 January 1970, the division was officially separated into a separate company under the name "PT Pelita Air Service". The company also provides air transportation services for the oil and gas industry in Indonesia on a rental system.

New ventures (1987–2020) On 24 November 1987, the company established PT Indopelita Aircraft Services (IAS) to provide maintenance services for rotating components, such as turbines, compressors and pumps, as well as general and field mechanical services. IAS also offers a digital control system to monitor equipment performance.

In 2000, the company provided scheduled flight services under the name "Pelita AirVenture". It ceased scheduled flights in 2005, citing tough competition in the scheduled aviation sector. In 2016, the company formed an Airport Strategic Business Unit (SBU) in charge of managing Pertamina's airports. In 2019, SBU Airport started managing three airports owned by Pertamina, namely Pondok Cabe Airport, Pinang Kampai Airport, and Warukin Airport. In 2020, the company started to provide general cargo transportation services.

Relaunch as a scheduled airline (2021–present) In late 2021, Indonesian media reported that the Indonesian Ministry of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) had plans to have Pelita Air replace the financially-ailing flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, citing the latter's high debt. In November 2021, the ministry's plan for the airline to start scheduled flights was followed by an aircraft lease order for several Airbus A320 aircraft, during which time the airline had applied for an air operator's certificate (AOC).

On 28 April 2022, the airline launched operations as a scheduled carrier with a flight from Jakarta to Denpasar. The regular flights to Bali were later followed by flights to Yogyakarta on 20 June 2022, with more routes from Jakarta planned. Upon the launch of regular services, the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir, stated that Pelita Air would be solely focusing on the domestic market as opposed to flying international routes, referring to the size of the domestic Indonesian aviation market. However, later in 2022, reports emerged of plans for the airline to start Hajj operations to Saudi Arabia in 2023. On 18 August 2025, the airline commenced its first cross border flights to Singapore, effectively ending its status as a domestic-only airline.

Destinations , Pelita Air flies to eight Indonesian destinations out of its hub at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport:

Country City Airport Notes RefsIndonesiaAmbonPattimura AirportBalikpapanSultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport Banda AcehSultan Iskandar Muda International Airport BanjarmasinSyamsudin Noor International Airport DenpasarNgurah Rai International Airport KendariHaluoleo Airport JakartaSoekarno–Hatta International AirportJayapuraSentani International AirportOperated for cargo onlyMataramLombok International Airport MakassarSultan Hasanuddin International Airport MedanKualanamu International AirportPalembangSultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport PekanbaruSultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport PadangMinangkabau International Airport ]PontianakSupadio International Airport SorongDomine Eduard Osok Airport SurabayaJuanda International Airport YogyakartaYogyakarta International Airport SingaporeSingaporeChangi Airport

Fleet Current fleet

, Pelita Air operates the following aircraft:

+Pelita Air fleetAircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotesWYTotal1649—18018012138150Former Alaska Airlines aircraft.1——4848Used for charter operations.1——66661—VIPOperating for the Indonesian Government 2———13Charter2———3CharterSikorsky S-766———12CharterPelita Air cargo fleetAir Tractor AT-8021———CargoUsed to carry fuel for Pertamina2 ———CargoConverted into freighters.Total2351

Historical fleet

Pelita Air has previously operated the following aircraft:

+ Pelita Air historical fleetAircraftTotalPassengersNotesAérospatiale SA321J Super Frelon127Registered as PK-PEFAérospatiale SA300J Puma116Registered as PK-PENAérospatiale SA330F116Registered as PK-PDWBAC One-Eleven289BAe 146-2001-The only BAe 146-200 in the fleetBell 212115The only Bell 212, registered as PK-PDZBoeing 707-3M1C1VVIPRegistered as PK-PJQ, was used by Sempati Air in Aug 1977, transferred to the Indonesian Government in July 1979, and then to the Indonesian Air Force as A-7002 in Nov. 1982. After a lease back to Pelita in 1985, the aircraft was leased to Garuda Indonesia in 1989 as PK-GAU.CASA C-212 Aviocar1119De Havilland Dash 7650De Havilland DHC-3 Otter—-Unidentified numbers of aircraft in the fleet. Two aircraft registered as PK-PHA & PK-PHB crashed in 1965.Fokker 1006 —F100s were used for passenger flights; all of the F100s are (presumably) scrapped.Fokker 701 —The only Fokker 70 in the fleetFokker 503 —Fokker 50s were used for passenger flights. Fokker 28-40005 —PK-PJK had an APU fire after landing in Jalaluddin Airport, Gorontalo. Aircraft damage was minor and the aircraft was able to be repaired.Fokker 28-10004 —Fokker F27 Friendship6 —Back then, F27s were used to transport cargo and employees. One crashed as PK-PFB, another crashed as PK-PFC in Misool Island due to fuel shortage, and one was registered as PK-CFD (operated by PT. Caltex Pacific Indonesia).Grumman G-111 Albatross3 —Only 3 G-111s were in the fleet. PK-VAA crashed landed near Seletar. (Registration PK-PAM that was formerly used for one of the G-111 was re-used for the ATR 72-500.)Gulfstream II2 —Both registered as PK-PJG & PK-PJZGulfstream III1 —Only 1 aircraft in the fleet, registered as PK-PJAHawker Siddeley 125-600B2 —Both registered as PK-PJD & PK-PJEHawker Siddeley 125-3B/RA1 —Only one in the fleet, registered as PK-PJRIPTN NAS 332C Super Puma224 (?)Both registered as PK-PUG & PK-PUHKing Air 3501 —The only King Air 350 in the fleet, registered as PK-RJRL-1329 JetStar 7311 —The only Jestar 731 in the fleet, registered as PK-PJHLockheed L-100-30 Hercules5 CargoL-100s used for transmigration and cargo services. One crashed in Hong Kong as PK-PLV, one crash landed in Jayapura as PK-PLU, and one with an unidentified registration overran in South Sudan.NAMC YS-112 64One of the few NAMC YS-11 operators in Indonesia, both aircraft being registered as PK-PYV & PK-PYWShorts S.7 Skyvan 3319Only 3 in the fleet, registered as PK-PSC, PK-PSF, and PK-PSGTransall C-160NG5 CargoTwo were later used by Manunggal Air and were written off due to an accident, both aircraft registered as PK-VTP & PK-VTQ

Accidents and incidents

On 23 January 1980, during a flight from Bandung to Wirasaba Air Base via Jakarta, A Pelita Air CASA C-212 Aviocar (registration PK-XCE) flew into a hill in bad weather at 2700 feet, while being cleared to descend from 6500 feet to 4500 feet. It hit a tall rasamala tree on the slope of Mount Sanggabuwana before crashing on the slope of Si Monyet mountain. All 11 occupants were killed. On 24 January 1984, A Pelita Air CASA C-212 Aviocar (registration PK-PCL) crashed in Mount Lokon while descending out of 3000 feet, near Manado, North Sulawesi. 6 of the 9 occupants died and the aircraft was written off. On 2 January 1990, while on the way to Palembang, a CASA 212 operated by Pelita Air (registration PK-PCM) experienced an engine trouble. The aircraft ditched and sank into Java sea. 7 people were killed. On 6 December 2023, Pelita Air Flight 205, an Airbus A320-200 (registration PK-PWD), which was to fly from Surabaya to Jakarta, canceled its takeoff due to a bomb threat at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. All passengers were asked to disembark, and one person was secured by officers. On 19 February 2026, Pelita Air Flight 7101, an Air Tractor AT-802 (registration PK-PAA), crashed at Krayan Hills in Nunukan, North Kalimantan. 1 out of 1 occupant were killed.

References

External links