Riau Airlines

[wiggsy]

Hi, i'm new here. I'm going to be travelling from Java to Kalimantan later this year, and the only airline that does the direct route I need is Riau Airlines. I know there are still safety concerns about all Indonesian airlines, but has anybody flown Riau Airlines before and, if so, what are they like?

[waarmstrong]

... has anybody flown Riau Airlines before and, if so, what are they like?

I wonder if the lack of a response means that no one who flew Riau lived to tell about it.

[Rushing Doll]

Hi, i'm new here. I'm going to be travelling from Java to Kalimantan later this year, and the only airline that does the direct route I need is Riau Airlines. I know there are still safety concerns about all Indonesian airlines, but has anybody flown Riau Airlines before and, if so, what are they like?

Never heard of them

[wiggsy]

I wonder if the lack of a response means that no one who flew Riau lived to tell about it.

Yeah maybe. They used to fly just throughout Sumatra, I believe, but have expanded their routes to include Java and Kalimantan.

[waarmstrong]

Wiggsy, its been many years since I flew to Kalimantan & cannot even remember the carrier -- sorry I am of no help. Perhaps with your return you can post a first critique of the airline's performance. Hope your flight is not a nail biter.

[gffgold]

I've used Riau before. They are a fairly small carrier part owned by Riau Province and they have a pretty good safety record. No serious incidents or accidents. I believe they have a mixed fleet of smaller regional aircraft types.

[atlantis]

They have less than 10 aircrafts, a majority being old (more than 15 years old on average) Fokker 50 and a couple of the planes are BAe 146/ Avro RJ
This being said, I never flew with them...

[wiggsy]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give them a go. The safety records of airlines don't scare me too much. You've still got more chance of dying on the way to the airport than you have on the plane.

[cheche]

I'm going to be travelling from Java to Kalimantan later this year, and the only airline that does the direct route I need is Riau Airlines. I

Dear Wiggsy,

Are you sure about that? Because I check their website (btw, you can book it online) www.riau-airlines.com, no route to kalimantan from Java. Where will you depart? and where do you want to go?

here're some airline website:

Mandala air : www.mandalaair.com
Batavia air : www.batavia-air.co.id
Lion air : www.lionair.co.id
Sriwijaya air : www.sriwijayaair-online.com (you can check the schedule but you cant book online)

Last month I booked Batavia for my boss, he departed from Jakarta to Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan), It's direct flight.

Check the website, you can book online.

Thanks.

[BulePilot]

They are in the process of acquiring more BAe 146/Avro RJ's to bring their fleet numbers up to the stupid new requirement of 10 aircraft or more. Because we all know the more aircraft you have the safer you are.

They haven't experienced any major incidents that I am aware of and I liked the stand their former chief pilot took over duty times for the crew who were seriously overworked. Their operating certificate was suspended for a time IIRC.

As there often is, a week or so ago there was a pretty decent storm over Medan which meant I had to delay my return and colleagues were stuck on the ground in Polonia. Riau burst in in the Fokker 50 for runway 05 and landed late but there is so much standing water on the runway they struggled for directional control and said colleagues were thinking about making a run for safety least the ensuing wreckage bowl their way.

Haven't seen them going into Simuelue for a while but witnessed a bit of 'the mail must get through' attitude about a year back.

Thanks for the replies. I'll give them a go. The safety records of airlines don't scare me too much. You've still got more chance of dying on the way to the airport than you have on the plane.

Still true even in Indonesia which is truly appalling for aviation safety. Riau are no Merpati or Aviastar or Trigana for that matter so thats a start.