Pelita Air
Pelita Air is a scheduled airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is owned by PT Pertamina (Persero), a subsidiary of Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund, Danantara. Its main operating base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, and it is headquartered at Pondok Cabe Airport. Pelita Air is listed in category 1 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.
History
Early years (1963–1970)
The airline started its history in 1963 when Pertamina established an air transportation service division named Pertamina Air Service to support employee mobility. On January 24, 1970, the division was officially separated into a separate company under the name "PT Pelita Air Service". The company also provides air transportation services for the oil and gas industry in Indonesia on a rental system.New ventures (1987–2020)
On November 24, 1987, the company established PT Indopelita Aircraft Services to provide maintenance services for rotating components, such as turbines, compressors and pumps, as well as general and field mechanical services. IAS also offers a digital control system to monitor equipment performance.In 2000, the company provided scheduled flight services under the name "Pelita AirVenture". It ceased scheduled flights in 2005, citing tough competition in the scheduled aviation sector. In 2016, the company formed an Airport Strategic Business Unit in charge of managing Pertamina's airports. In 2019, SBU Airport started managing three airports owned by Pertamina, namely Pondok Cabe Airport, Pinang Kampai Airport, and Warukin Airport. In 2020, the company started to provide general cargo transportation services.
Relaunch as a scheduled airline (2021–present)
In late 2021, Indonesian media reported that the Indonesian Ministry of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) had plans to have Pelita Air replace the financially-ailing flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, citing the latter's high debt. In November 2021, the ministry's plan for the airline to start scheduled flights was followed by an aircraft lease order for several Airbus A320 aircraft, during which time the airline had applied for an air operator's certificate (AOC).On April 28, 2022, the airline launched operations as a scheduled carrier with a flight from Jakarta to Denpasar. The regular flights to Bali were later followed by flights to Yogyakarta on June 20, 2022, with more routes from Jakarta planned. Upon the launch of regular services, the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir, stated that Pelita Air would be solely focusing on the domestic market as opposed to flying international routes, referring to the size of the domestic Indonesian aviation market. However, later in 2022, reports emerged of plans for the airline to start Hajj operations to Saudi Arabia in 2023. On August 18, 2025, the airline commenced its first cross border flights to Singapore, effectively ending its status as a domestic-only airline.
Destinations
, Pelita Air flies to eight Indonesian destinations out of its hub at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport:| Country | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
| Indonesia | Balikpapan | Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Banda Aceh | Sultan Iskandar Muda International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Denpasar | Ngurah Rai International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Kendari | Haluoleo Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Jayapura | Sentani International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Mataram | Lombok International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Medan | Kualanamu International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Pontianak | Supadio International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Surabaya | Juanda International Airport | ||
| Indonesia | Yogyakarta | Yogyakarta International Airport | ||
| Singapore | Singapore | Changi Airport |
Fleet
Current fleet
, Pelita Air operates the following aircraft:Historical fleet
Pelita Air has previously operated the following aircraft:Accidents and incidents
- On the 23 January 1980, During a flight from Bandung to Wirasaba Air Base via Jakarta, A Pelita Air CASA C-212 Aviocar flew into a hill in bad weather at 2700 feet, while being cleared to descend from 6500 feet to 4500 feet. It hit a tall rasamala tree on the slope of Mount Sanggabuwana before crashing on the slope of Si Monyet mountain. All 11 occupants were killed.
- On 24 January 1984, A Pelita Air CASA C-212 Aviocar crashed in Mount Lokon while descending out of 3000 feet, near Manado, North Sulawesi. 6 of the 9 occupants died and the aircraft was written off.
- On 2 January 1990, while on the way to Palembang, a CASA 212 operated by Pelita Air experienced an engine trouble. The aircraft ditched and sank into Java sea. 7 people were killed.
- On 6 December 2023, Pelita Air Flight 205, an Airbus A320-200, which was to fly from Surabaya to Jakarta, canceled its takeoff due to a bomb threat at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. All passengers were asked to disembark, and one person was secured by officers.