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| A rarity: an F-28 Mk.4000 with only one of the emergency doors painted |
Pelita Air is an Indonesian airline deeply connected to the industrial development of its country. Its origins date back to 1963 as a transport division of Indonesia's state-owned oil and gas company, Pertamina.
Its initial objective was to transport the oil company's employees and executives.In 1970, it officially spun off to become an independent company renamed PT Pelita Air Service (PAS), expanding its services to the charter flight sector, government operations, and medical services, though Pelita Air remained owned by Pertamina.
Pelita Air's operational base is located at Pondok Cabe Airport, south of Jakarta, Indonesia. For decades, it consolidated its position as one of the leading providers of charter flights and specialized services (including helicopters for oil platforms). It also made brief incursions into scheduled commercial flights, operating as Pelita Air Venture in the early 2000s.
The inherent characteristics of the Fokker F-28 Fellowship were perfect for Indonesia's geography: its low-pressure tires and robust design allowed it to operate on short or semi-prepared runways on remote islands.
The airline ended up operating nine units of different variants. Some of these aircraft, such as PK-PJV (christened "Pangkalan Brandan"), were originally used as presidential transport for the Indonesian government before larger aircraft were incorporated. Later, they provided exclusive service to executives of Pertamina and other allied companies.
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| Presidential transport |
For example, the Fokker F-28 Mk.4000 PK-PJY (cn. 11145) was spotted on July 30, 1988, operating in Glasgow for Mobil Oil.
By 1991, the aircraft were painted with "Pelita Air" titles on the fuselage.
Pelita Air Service's Fokker F-28s were retired from active service between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s. They were gradually replaced by more efficient models like the Fokker 70—of which Pelita was the launch customer—and the larger Fokker 100, and later by ATR turboprops and Airbus A320 jets.
A curious fate befell the fuselage of one of these retired units (PK-PJY), which was eventually moved to the Central Java region to be picturesquely converted into a local restaurant.
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| The future PK-PJK (cn. 11192) as "Badak," later renamed "Minas." (Frank Ellemers Collection). |
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Interior of a Pelita Air Fokker F-28 |
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Pelita Air's Fokker F-28 Fellowships operated at the following airports: Denpasar Bali Ngurah Rai - WADD, Bima, Sumbawa, Ende, Flores, Kupang El Tari Airport, Timor, Singapore – Changi Airport, Jakarta – Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta International – Soekarno Hatta Airport, Palembang – Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II (PLM / WIPP), Pangkalan Brandan—the locality in Sumatra where Indonesia's oil industry was born—Balikpapan, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung, and Badak Airport - Bontang.Around 2005, Pelita's F-28 PK-PJL (cn. 11111) also operated for KAL STAR, a regional airline flying from Jakarta and Surabaya to Kalimantan island, connecting destinations such as Pangkalan Bun and Pontianak.
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With Pelita Air titles |
* msn. 11042 Mk.1000 PK-PJT dd 09Jan1971. Named “Pangkalan Susu”, rmt. A-2801 Tentara Nacional Indonesia Angkatan Udara 21Dic1983.
* msn. 11073 Mk.1000 PK-PJV dd 10Nov1973. Named “Pangkalan Brandan”, rmt. F-GGKC TAT Touraine Air Transport Dec1987.
* msn. 11030 Mk.1000 PK-PJS dd 02Aug1974. Named “Jatibarang”. Operated for Bouraq starting in 1999. Stored at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport Yakarta Aug2001.
* msn 11029 Mk.1000 PK-PJU dd 20Dec1974. Named “Cilacap”, rmt. C-FCRW dd 06Sep1995.
* msn. 11146 Mk.4000 PK-PJY dd. 21Mar1980. Named “Aceh”, “Bontang” (Jul1988), “Aceh”. wfu. Seen at Purwokerto region, as a restaurant.
* msn. 11148 Mk.4000 PK-PJW dd. 21Ene1980. Named “Salawati”, rmt. PK-YPJ Jul1995.
* msn. 11178 Mk.4000 PK-PJM dd. 16Oct1981. Named “Matak”.
* msn. 11192 Mk.4000 PK-PJK dd. 25Apr1983. Named “Badak”, “Minas”. Operated by Caltex titles (1985 – 1992). Named “Lenguru”.
* msn. 11111 Mk.4000 PK-PJL dd. Jul1991. Named “Kurau”.
