PT Mandala Airlines expects to be excluded from a ban on flying to Europe following improvements in its management and operations, a company official said Friday.
"We already operate in accordance with international standards, so we believe we should not be included in the list (of banned airlines)," Mandala chief executive officer Warwick Brady said.
The European Commission imposed a flight ban on all Indonesian air carriers last July following a series of fatal accidents.
He said Mandala, one of the country's oldest carriers, had not yet offered international flights, but believed the inclusion of Mandala in the list would harm the airline's image.
Mandala along with Garuda Indonesia, AirFast and Premi Air are on fast track programs supervised by transportation authorities to improve airline security and inspections.
In 2007, the 39-year-old company ordered 30 new Airbuses to replace its Boeing 737-200 aircraft and also purchased a safety system that allows the tracking of any incident related to the company's aircraft.
"We've stopped the operation of all Boeing 737-200 since February 2008," he said.
"We expect to receive the delivery of six to eight new aircraft a year," he said, adding that the company had invested US$1.8 million in a new, younger fleet of aircraft.
He added that the company was now operating 16 aircraft, including the Airbus A320, A319 and Boeing 737-400, to serve more than 25 routes in Indonesia.
The company cooperates with Singapore Airlines Engineering Company on aircraft maintenance.
He said the company had also been audited for safety and operations by independent auditors like Airbus, Boeing, European Union, International Air Transport Association (IATA) and several oil companies like Total, Kenyon and Conoco Philips which had agreements to fly with Mandala.
"We completed the IATA Operational Safety Audit certification requirements last year and now we are waiting for the certificate," he said.
He added that Mandala would continue to invest in the improvement of its service and flight safety system to gain recognition as a national carrier with world-class safety standards.
Rather than expand its route abroad, Brady said the company was focusing on strengthening Mandala's brand in Indonesia: "Our first priority is domestic."
He added that in the last few months the carrier had been flying at more than 80 percent capacity.
"We expect to carry a million passengers this year," he said.
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