Indonesia May Withdraw Garuda Flights if Glitch Persists

Indonesia may withdraw Garuda Indonesia's rights to operate some flights if the national carrier fails to fix a system glitch by Thursday which has resulted in the cancellation of some services, said a senior official at the Transport Ministry.

“We still give them time until tomorrow, but if the problems persist we will take firm action...We will cut their (number of) flights, and this also goes for all airlines,“ Director General of Air Transports Herry Bakti told reporters Wednesday.


He didn't specify whether the measures, if put in place, would be temporary or permanent, or which flights might be targeted. Garuda has had to cancel twenty flights since Sunday due to a glitch in its crew rotation system that occurred when it switched to a new system, according to an airline spokesman.

He also said that they 80% of the problem has already been resolved, and the airline is on track to meet Thursday's deadline. Garuda Indonesia currently operates a total of 980 flights each week, and is eyeing a $400 million initial public offering next year.