Sabang Merauke Air Flight Schedules

The MMTA were asked by SMAC President Peter Lew to come up with ideas and suggestions for a Padang to Rokot air service. The meeting took place at Villa Air Manis Hotel and the following points were raised:

- Direct bookings requested so that resorts were not obliged to book via competing groups.
- Change of name to Sabang Merauke Air
- Scheduled flights rather than the charter flights proposed by Mentawai Air.
- Affordable seat prices.
- Surfer + boardbag capacity
- Long term commitment

SMA have repainted their aircraft and announced the following schedule:
- Padang > Rokot 9.30am Tue, Thu, Sat
- Rokot > Padang 10.30am Tue Thu Sat
Prices will be $47 one way plus a boardbag surcharge of around $40-50 depending on the weight. Capacity is 14 normal passengers or 10 surfers plus boards.

Aloita Resort have a 60ft high speed catamaran and smaller powerboats available to shuttle surfers to Playgrounds and other resorts in the area. Rates will range from $50 to $100 depending on numbers in each group.

Flights can be booked via a number of local agents including Mentawai Air.

Mentawai Air Services Firm Up

Surfers soon will be able to choose between Macas Resort's 208
Amphibian and SMA's 212-200 Rokot Based service.

Sabang Merokue Airways flew their first scheduled flight to Rokot airport in Sipura yesterday. The company is under new management (Singapore based) and they are commiting to a trial period of 3 flights per week to the Islands.

Flights are Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10am. The fare for local passengers is Rp400,000 one way and we are waiting on confirmation for surfers with board bags. Foreign visitors will pay $88 one way and we expect that surfers will pay about $150 one way with a total of 10 plus bags per flight. The 850m airstrip at Rokot restricts the use of larger aircraft but the company is negotiating with the Mentawai Government to extend the runway in exchange for a 25 year BOT contract.

SMA have confirmed that they are not in partnership with Mentawai Air in this venture and they say they have no JVs with that company nor any plans to develop in other sectors with the Bray Group. SMA are committed to opening up the Singapore Mentawai market and they see the area as a new and exciting destination for the lucrative and growing Singapore adventure marine sports vacation market.

SMA is owned by Batam Logistics, a Singapore based group owned by Bowstead Industries. The Board of Directors of Boustead Singapore Limited announced in a disclosure to the Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) that it has entered into an agreement to sell 33% of its shareholding in P.T. Sabang Merauke Raya Air Charter (PT SMAC) to Sky Pact Ltd and PT Anugerah Angkasa, who will participate as new joint venture partners in PT SMAC.

Aloita Hotel are working on repowering the 60ft cat, Kerisma to act as a shuttle between Rokot and resorts in the area. The spot rate is believed to be $250 per hour and the boat will be able to carry 20 or more passengers at 25 knots+ according to the calculations. Sea trials should be complete by the end of March.

The MMTA met with SMA in Padang and requested that they operate independent of the Bray company Mentawai Air. The industry argued that it would be difficult to support the service if operators were obliged to purchase tickets from an unknown company that has vested interests in the area. SMA responded by opening up bookings to 3 agents in Padang. SMA say that Mentawai Air have only been allocated 5 seats on the 18 seat CASA 212-200 aircraft.

SMA, previously known as SMAC, are under new management and they are upgrading all their 212's. All engine overhauls are now done in Denmark and the airframes are maintained by Singapore staff.

SMA have suspended their Telos to Medan flights for 2 weeks but they now fly Padang Telos/Gunung Sitoli twice a week.

The MMTA was offered free seats on yestedays flight to Mentawai. A personal invitation to join the flight by SMA Chairman Peter Lew was overturned by the Brays at the last minute. Strange given that our efforts bought the MMTA and SMA to the table in the first place but sadly predictable. Without the full support of all operators, it is unlikely that any air carrier will make money on this pioneering route.

Meanwhile Mark Loughran from Macaronis Resort is confident that his Cessna 208 Amphibian will be flying by the end of April. The near new turboprop aircraft will carry 8 surfers and boars (in socks) or 12 passengers without boards. Mark says the new company will be called Mentawai Air Taxis and that the partners have a long term business plan that is aimed at deliving what the surfers want. Based in Padang and at the resort, the 208 will offer door-to-door charter flights to all MMTA partner resorts. Prices are still being discussed but we anticipate $200 one way will be close for surfers.