After receiving its second newly approved Air Operator Certificate (AOC) in Indonesia on 28 March, which is its third airline AOC in the region, the Asia Cargo Network group launched RGA-Black Stone Airlines with its inaugural flight departing last week on 30 March, 2022. Setting out of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) in Jakarta. The flight headed to El Tari International Airport (KOE), then Komodo International Airport (LBJ).
RGA-Black Stone Airline’s President Director Zack Isaak said “RGA-Black Stone Airlines looks to plug gaps in the Indonesian domestic market by providing solutions for local air cargo transportation needs. Using aviation market intelligence tools and through group experience in our existing cargo networks, we aim to improve niche transportation routes that are currently untapped by the local cargo airlines, while establishing new routes regionally with other countries in the near future.”
In addition, RGA-Black Stone Airlines plans to expand its wings into passenger flight routes to Saudi Arabia doing Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages in the third quarter of 2022. The operations will be performed utilising four units of A330 passenger aircraft. As the largest Muslim populated country in the world, more than 50,000 people embark on Hajj, while 1.5 million on Umrah pilgrimages from Indonesia annually. Establishing passenger airline routes for the Hajj and Umrah programme would thus be a lucrative market for RGA-Black Stone Airlines.
The Umrah and Hajj pilgrimage flight programme is just one of several plans RGA-Black Stone Airlines has in store for the Indonesian aviation space, with proposals to enter the Chinese market currently being discussed. RGA-Black Stone Airlines also intends to roll out a pilot programme of drone delivery services, through which cargo is delivered via drone operating systems. “We see new opportunities in the way we deliver cargo, and the drone methodology is certainly something that we believe will become mainstream in the future. We intend to grow the potential of this market and achieve premium cargo capabilities, especially with high worth and time sensitive goods including medical equipment and emergency items,” added Isaak.
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