Published on September 16, 2025, by Bisnis.com
By Dionisio Damara Tonce
SOE Ministry affirmed that the merger plan between Garuda Indonesia (GIAA) and Pelita Air will be fully controlled by Danantara Indonesia through operational holding.
The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises affirmed that the business consolidation process between state-owned airlines, including the merger between PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (GIAA) and Pelita Air will be under Danantara’s control.
The SOE Minister Erick Thohir said [the ministry] will only act as the last approval provider, while the technical review and implementation process would be handled by Danantara, the operational holding company of SOEs.
“We, from the SOE Ministry, will follow the policies implemented by Danantara. We only have the final approval, so the review process lies with Danantara,” he said in Jakarta on Monday (15/9).
According to Erick, the Garuda-Pelita consolidation scheme is part of the aviation sector transformation being promoted by the government through Danantara. Erick emphasized that his ministry fully supports the steps taken by the holding company.
Meanwhile, the President DIrector of Garuda Indonesia Wamildan Tsani said the company remains focused on its performance recovery program through equity strengthening, fleet restoration, business ecosystem recovery, and increased passenger traffic.
He said the consolidation of state-owned airlines is still in the early stage of exploration. The company is also continuing to coordinate with relevant stakeholders regarding this matter.
“Currently, the company is in the initial stages of discussions with relevant parties,” he said in an information disclosure on Tuesday (16/9).
Wamildan added that although discussion are currently in the initial stages, no final decision has been made regarding the corporate action plan.
“We will provide further updates on the progress of this merger plan if there are significant developments related to the stages and implementation of this strategic plan,” Wamildan concluded.
So far, the company has not been able to provide an estimate of the impact of the merger plan. The potential impact will only be known after a comprehensive study involving various related parties is conducted in the next phase.
Previously, President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Simon Aloysius Mantiri revealed that the company would spin off several subsidiaries, including Pelita Air, which is planned to be merged with Garuda Indonesia.
Simon said that the spin-off process will be carried out under the coordination of Danantara Indonesia. He said the state-owned companies with similar business lines will be merged.
“As an example, for our airline, we are conducting a preliminary exploration to merge Pelita Air with Garuda Indonesia,” Simon said during a hearing with Commission VI of the House of Representative on Thursday (11/9).
He said a spin-off will be done because Pertamina will be more focused on its core business, which is oil and gas, and renewable energy. Besides, Pertamina will also integrate three subholdings to maximize downstream oil and gas performance.
The three companies are PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI), and PT Pertamina Internasional Shipping (PIS). Simon stated that this process is targeted to complete by the end of 2025.