HOW WOULD MANDALA’S ANNUAL SCORE CARD READ? HERE’S THE AIRLINE’S ASSESSMENT OF A BUSY YEAR.

OPERATIONAL: Mandala’s operational turnaround has been remarkable. With 39 years of history and a strong military background, the airline has transformed itself along the following lines:

International Standards of Safety and Quality: Mandala has invested millions of dollars on implementing leading-edge safety tools, training and auditing, all of which are an integral part of the Safety Management System. Mandala has now completed its IOSA Audit program which is run by the International Air Transport

Association (IATA) that benchmarks airlines against International Standards of Safety;

Refleeted: To a more modern fleet of Airbus and 737-400’s (all old generation aircraft have been retired);

On-time performance: Improved from 65% to consistently over 90% on-time performance

Short shipped bags: Mandala has reduced short-shipped bags from 5 per 1000 passengers to 0.4 bags per 1000 passengers;

Engineering: Contracted Singapore Airlines Engineering Company to manage the maintenance on the aircraft fleet. Mandala’s aircraft are now clean and well maintained.

CEO Warwick Brady stated: “I am proud to say that we are the only airline in Indonesia to have an international team with experience from Singapore Airlines, British Airways and Air New Zealand. This allows us to benchmark our standards and services against these airlines. In addition, we have retired our old aeroplanes, and purchased bigger aircraft which, in effect, has allowed us to double our seat capacity over the past 12 months and be more efficient in consuming fuel.”

Mandala’s number one priority is safety. It has now completed the IOSA (International Operational Safety Audit) through the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as audits from Airbus, Boeing and a number of oil and gas companies that have approved travel on Mandala Airlines.

COMMERCIAL: Over the past year, the commercial team has transformed Mandala into an entrepreneurial company and, as a consequence, it is now a more innovative airline.

Easy Book – Easy Pay: One of the first priorities was to make it easy for customers to book and pay, so Mandala changed its booking system and adopted “Navitaire” – a world-class, leading-edge booking system;

Excellent Network: Mandala spent months reworking the schedules and network. The focus of the airline was to revive a strong network in Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Bali;

Product Choices: Mandala launched three new products to allow passengers more choice. Ultra Saver, Ultra Flex and Mandala Priority were introduced to better serve the needs of all sections of the travel market. The result has seen growth of more than 100 per cent in passengers for Mandala year-on-year.

“Admittedly, it has been a challenge to alter the way people have worked within the company,” said Warwick Brady. “However, we have effectively evolved into a dynamic entity, able to meet the challenges head on.”