Aviation info.

[harryopal1]

PT Garuda Indonesia is in talks to buy Boeing planes as the flag carrier seeks to expand its international network, its CEO said.

The airline is discussing buying between 50 and 75 jets from the US manufacturer, including 737 Max 8 and 787-9 models, Wamildan Tsani Panjaitan told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday.

Panjaitan, speaking after a meeting with Indonesia’s Coordinating Economic Minister, declined to give a time frame or state whether any transaction would form part of expected Indonesia-US trade and investment deals.

Garuda’s board appointed Panjaitan as CEO in November, he was at Lion before. He was tasked with fixing the company’s balance sheet and expanding its international network. The airline, which recorded a net loss last year, recently secured a $405 million loan from sovereign wealth fund Danantara to help expand its fleet.

The company aims to operate 120 aircraft over the next five years, compared to the 98 now (with low-cost carrier Citilink).

When you look at the way some executives misused Garuda to carry large goods for them to avoid paying customs duties it is clear that there is a mindset that sees the airline as their personal gravy train and will do anything, no matter the cost to the country, to keep things afloat. As for taking on another 50 to 75 new jets it has not been unknown for aircraft manufacturers to pay handsome facilitation fees to those involved in the purchase loop.

 

[jstar]

More than a week ago (on April 10) a new entry system went into effect in the EU countries. The European Entry and Exit System (EES) is the digital system that registers non-EU citizens at the border. The system replaces the manual passport stamp with a digital registration of each entry and exit.

The immigration officer takes a photo and scans the fingerprints of every traveler who travels to Europe for the first time. That data is linked to the passport data in a digital file and that data replaces the old stamps. With the next trips, this should save time.

In Amsterdam (Schiphol) it created a lot of extra work though. The reason was that the self (passport) scan system for EU citizens didn’t work. So everyone had to go via the manual check. And the waiting time for arriving travellers went up to a staggering 4 hours.

 

[centurion]

More than a week ago (on April 10) a new entry system went into effect in the EU countries. The European Entry and Exit System (EES) is the digital system that registers non-EU citizens at the border. The system replaces the manual passport stamp with a digital registration of each entry and exit.

The immigration officer takes a photo and scans the fingerprints of every traveler who travels to Europe for the first time. That data is linked to the passport data in a digital file and that data replaces the old stamps. With the next trips, this should save time.

In Amsterdam (Schiphol) it created a lot of extra work though. The reason was that the self (passport) scan system for EU citizens didn’t work. So everyone had to go via the manual check. And the waiting time for arriving travellers went up to a staggering 4 hours.

The system is a mess, makin the Indonesian bureaucracy actually pretty competent comparing to the EU one.

 

[Balifrog]

The system is a mess, makin the Indonesian bureaucracy actually pretty competent comparing to the EU one.

EU loves to make everything difficult.
Except if you are an illegal "refugie".....