Garuda Indonesia's flight from Melbourne to Jakarta via Denpasar became the first flight served by the GMF Line Maintenance in its first international branch.
Director of Business and Base Operations of the GMF I Wayan Susena said in a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday that Melbourne was chosen as a station for GMF's Line Maintenance in Australia in an effort to further the company's market as Melbourne is the most crowded hub connecting Indonesia and Australia.
"We see Melbourne a suited location for GMF to start penetrating the international market. There are a lot of potential customers flying in and out of Melbourne everyday," he said.
Several international airlines that have become GMF's target market have operated a number of flight routes through Melbourne. This opens a business opportunity for the company to optimize its potential clients through the Line Maintenance services that it has officially been providing since February 1, 2020.
GMF had also held an opening ceremony of the Melbourne Branch Office which was also attended by the Indonesian Consul General for Melbourne, Spica A Tutuhatunewa, Garuda Indonesia District Manager in Melbourne, Flora Izza, and all GMF personnel in the city.
"In the midst of the challenges in the global economic development, the opening of the Garuda Maintenance Facility Aero Asia Melbourne was a waft of fresh air for the aviation industry in the region," the Consul General said.
GMF's presence in Australia, he continued, marked the strengthening of the Indonesia-Australia partnership as an economic powerhouse in the Asia Pacific region.
Opportunities will continue to open for the business sector to enhance cooperation within the framework of a comprehensive Indonesia-Australia economic partnership.
To meet the needs of trained and qualified workforce, the Melbourne Line Maintenance station will be supported by seven mechanics and technicians and led by one aircraft maintenance manager.
The Melbourne Line Maintenance has currently obtained a permit to carry out maintenance for Airbus A330 aircraft and is planning to get the same permit for Airbus A330 Neo and Boeing 777 aircraft.
The services provided by the Melbourne Line Maintenance include checks before departure, during transit, and A Check.
The operation permit process has been carried out since 2019, and on May 17, 2019, GMF obtained the Foreign Investment Review Board Approval from the Australian Government.
The licensing was then followed by the issuance of ARBN number 636 326 933 by the Australian Securities and Investment Commissions, which indicated that GMF had been legally permitted to conduct business activities in Australia.
GMF plans to continue its expansion into Australia beyond the city of Melbourne, as it plans to continue to expand its market to reach Sydney and Perth this year.
Wayan said that GMF is also planning to expand to other countries aside from Australia.
"Melbourne is the first step in a series of our international expansion. We hope that the operations of GMF in other countries will run even more smoothly in the next few years," he said.
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Translator: Juwita Trisna Rahayu/Aria Cind
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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