TransNusa Air Services

PT TransNusa Aviation Mandiri, operating as TransNusa, is an Indonesian low-cost carrier based in Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. It was launched in August 2005, serving various destinations from Kupang, Timor, using aircraft chartered from Pelita Air and Trigana Air Service. In August 2011, TransNusa received its own air operator's certificate (AOC) and scheduled commercial airline permit, operating as a regional carrier. The airline relaunched as a low-cost carrier in 2022 after briefly ceasing operations in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic. History Launch and early years (2005-2011) TransNusa undertook its first commercial flight on 4 August 2005 in co-operation with Trigana Air Service. Initial services were established to Waingapu, Tambolaka and Lewoleba followed by routes to Alor, Ende, Maumere, Ruteng serviced by a Trigana Air ATR 42-300. Subsequently, TransNusa agreed to further co-operative partnerships in Nusa Tenggara with Riau Airlines using Fokker 50s with a second Trigana supplied ATR 42 introduced in April 2006. In June, a Boeing 737-200 was supplied on contract from Trigana to service the routes, Kupang to Denpasar to Surabaya and Kupang to Makassar. In late 2006, the 737 service was replaced by a Pelita Air Fokker F28-4000. In March 2007, arrangements with Mandala Airlines commenced with TransNusa acting both as a ticketing agent for Mandala at their office in Kupang and operating as a feeder service to the then-new Mandala Airbus A320 service operating from Kupang airport. This connected TransNusa's East Nusa Tenggara services into the Mandala Indonesian network through Jakarta and Surabaya. TransNusa commenced by block buying seats on the A320 services. In August 2007, TransNusa entered into a route subsidy agreement with the West Nusa Tenggara provincial government to provide services for the Mataram to Sumbawa and Mataram to Bima routes. The subsidised services were provided 3 times a week. In October 2007, TransNusa established the first implementation of airline e-ticketing in East Nusa Tenggara.By March 2008, TransNusa was operating 4 Fokker 50 turboprop aircraft in fleet co-operation arrangements with Riau Airlines.