TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Blue Bird Nordic or BBN Airlines Indonesia has reportedly suspended service on the Jakarta (CGK) - Balikpapan (BPN) flight route. The Ministry of Transportation has asked BBN Airlines Indonesia to provide clear information to passengers.

"We also appeal to BBN Airlines to ensure that passengers' rights are fulfilled by refunding ticket money in full—100 percent—and not reselling them," the ministry's Acting Director General of Air Transportation Lukman F. Laisa said in an official statement on Tuesday, November 5.

BBN Airlines Indonesia has been operating officially in Indonesia since September 2024. The airline has flight permits for three domestic routes, namely Jakarta (CGK)-Surabaya (SUB) since September 27, 2024; Jakarta (CGK)-Balikpapan (BPN), which started on September 30; and Jakarta (CGK)-Denpasar (DPS) since October 2. BBN Airlines Indonesia is also planning to launch the CGK - Pontianak route, with the inaugural flight scheduled for November 15.

However, Lukman said the CGK-BPN service has been suspended since October 29 due to low market demand. "The load factor (comparison between the number of passengers carried and the carrying capacity) averaged between 20 percent and 25 percent," he said.

Lukman said BBN Airlines Indonesia's decision to suspend flights with low load factors was a reasonable thing to do, a move that was in line with market dynamics. "Provided that it does not harm potential passengers," he said.

Tempo contacted BBN Airlines Indonesia marketing communications specialist Dafa Yuliano on Nov. 5 to confirm the suspension of flights on the CGK-BPN route and to ask about the mechanism for refunding prospective passengers' tickets. As of this writing, no response has been received.

RIRIE RANGGASARI

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