BATAM EXPECTED TO SERVE AS AIRCRAFT REPAIR CENTER

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 7 (Antara) - Batam, a tiny island being developed into an industrial area near Singapore, is expected to serve as a wide-bodied aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) center for at least three groups of aircraft maintenance companies.          The three groups of airline maintenance firms which are to provide aircraft maintenance services in Batam are PT Garuda Maintenance Facilities (GMF) AeroAsia, the Lion Group and PT Indonesia Aero Maintenance (IAM).          "We hope that Batam will become a center of maintenance for wide-bodied airplanes,"  President Director of PT Garuda Maintenance Facilities AeroAsia Richard Budihardianto said when signing a memorandum of understanding with Head of the Batam Free Trade Zone Authority Mustofa Widjaya in Batam on Friday.          PT Garuda Maintenance Facility (GMF) AeroAsia will focus its wide-bodied aircraft maintenance in Batam. PT GMF has decided to choose Batam because of its strategic location as one of the country's gate near Singapore.          According to Head of Batam Free Trade Zone Authority Mustofa Widjaya, Batam will provide facilities for investors operating MRO business on the island.          "Batam is a free trade and free port zone. It is free from import duties. All goods are exempted from value added tax of luxury goods," he said.