TransNusa Airline, a subsidiary of Linkasia Airlines Group and PT Panca Global International Indonesia, has rebranded itself as a Premium Service Carrier globally.
TranNusa was established in 2005 and stopped operation in 2020 due to the global pandemic. TransNusa was then sold and saw the injection of new shareholders and a new management team in 2022. The new shareholders include PT Panca Global International Indonesia (51%) and Sinagpore-based Linkasia Airlines Group Ltd (49%).
The new management team in TransNusa developed a unique business model that allowed the airline to rebrand itself as a Premium Service Carrier.
TransNusa Group Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Bernard Francis, who was instrumental to developing the airline’s customised business plan and growth path, said that TransNusa has become the fastest growing airline in South East Asia due to the business plan that was developed and implemented swiftly post Covid-19.
“Post Covid-19, we initiated an intensive market research. Based on the data obtained, we knew that traveller’s behavioural pattern had changed, specifically due to the pandemic. Our next step was to develop a customised business model for the targeted passengers. We implemented the business model on April 14th, with the launch of our first maiden international flight,” said Datuk Bernard, adding that the airline has flown over 1 million passengers from October 2022 to December 2023.
“We want to offer our domestic and international passengers’ greater comfort and flexibility, hence the decision to rebrand ourselves globally,” Datuk Bernard said, adding that TransNusa is also the fastest growing airline to expand operation to include international routes.”
In April last year, in line with the new business model expansion plan, TransNusa expanded its reach from domestic to international with the launch of its Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur route. Subsequently in the same year, in a short span of eight months, the airline also launched 3 new routes, which were Jakarta-Singapore, Jakarta-Guangzhou and Jakarta-Johor.
The new player with new rules, today announced that it has rebranded itself as a Premium Service Carrier in the domestic as well as international markets.
An aviation industry expert, who specializes in airline turnaround and revenue management, Datuk Bernard, said that TransNusa has increased its flight frequencies to seven times a week to Singapore, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China and Johor Baru, Malaysia.
TransNusa has also increased its flight frequencies to 21 times weekly to Kuala Lumpur, 14 times weekly to Yogyakarta and 35 times weekly to Bali.
“Last year, we expanded our operations to include international routes and even became the second Indonesian airline to fly into China. We also managed to obtain all necessary approvals in a short timeframe from world-class Changi airport, reflecting the strong commitment we have towards safety, security, maintenance and aircraft performance measures,” Datuk Bernard said, adding that TransNusa also became the first airline outside of China to commission and utilise the Comac ARJ21-700.
On the airline’s future expansion, Datuk Bernard said “We have plans to further expand our international routes and we want to assist more passengers travel with ease to their destinations,” adding that he expects TransNusa to experience a significant growth in 2024.
On the domestic front, Datuk Bernard explained that as part of its domestic growth plans, TransNusa intends to establish another domestic hub.
“For the first two quarters, we hope to expand our domestic routes as well as establish another domestic hub,” Datuk Bernard added, explaining that TransNusa will be providing its domestic market with premium services that will set it apart from Low-Cost Carriers.
“Since the take-over, TransNusa has been aggressively implementing plans that sets the airline apart from other Low-Cost Carriers through the comfort and flexibility offered as a Premium Service Carrier,” Datuk Bernard said, stressing that TransNusa’s current services exceeded that of a low-cost airline.
“For our domestic and international flights, we not only provide premium services with competitive ticket prices in comparison to other low-cost airlines, but we have attractive new product bundles called SEAT, SEAT-PLUS and FLEXI-PRO.
“Our passengers will enjoy check-in baggage of between 15kgs to 30 kgs, depending on the product purchased,” Datuk Bernard said, explaining that the baggage offering was over and above the 7kgs limit offered as a passenger’s hand carry.
“For the highest package, FLEXI-PRO, we provide more complete services such as free baggage 30kgs, free to choose seats, free food, and drinks, priority at check-in and boarding, no less interesting is passengers’ ability to be able to change the flight schedule without restrictions and obtain refund when needed.”
TransNusa, which aims to ensure their passengers travel with ease and comfort, has also configured their A320s with a 168-174 seat configuration, which allows for passengers to enjoy 30-31 inches of legroom, comparable to the experience passengers would get in a full-service airline.
“We are committed to providing affordable and competitive ticket prices, while still providing premium services to our customers.” concluded Datuk Bernard.
“We have also ensured that all our flights will be departing and arriving at only major international airports. This allows our passengers to enjoy the world-class services offered at the international terminals,” said Datuk Bernard, elaborating that TransNusa aims to offer their passengers a great experience on and off their flights.
