Pelita Air Service

Early years (1963–1970)

The airline started its history in 1963 when Pertamina established an air transportation service division named Pertamina Air Service to support employee mobility. On 24 January 1970, the division was officially separated into a separate company under the name "PT Pelita Air Service". The company also provides air transportation services for the oil and gas industry in Indonesia on a rental system.

New ventures (1987–2020)

On 24 November 1987, the company established PT Indopelita Aircraft Services (IAS) to provide maintenance services for rotating components, such as turbines, compressors and pumps, as well as general and field mechanical services. IAS also offers a digital control system to monitor equipment performance.

In 2000, the company provided scheduled flight services under the name "Pelita AirVenture". It ceased scheduled flights in 2005, citing tough competition in the scheduled aviation sector. In 2016, the company formed an Airport Strategic Business Unit (SBU) in charge of managing Pertamina's airports. In 2019, SBU Airport started managing three airports owned by Pertamina, namely Pondok Cabe Airport, Pinang Kampai Airport, and Warukin Airport. In 2020, the company started to provide general cargo transportation services.

Relaunch as a scheduled airline (2021–present)

In late 2021, Indonesian media reported that the Indonesian Ministry of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN) had plans to have Pelita Air replace the financially-ailing flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia, citing the latter's high debt. In November 2021, the ministry's plan for the airline to start scheduled flights was followed by an aircraft lease order for several Airbus A320 aircraft, during which time the airline had applied for an air operator's certificate (AOC).

On 28 April 2022, the airline launched operations as a scheduled carrier with a flight from Jakarta to Denpasar. The regular flights to Bali were later followed by flights to Yogyakarta on 20 June 2022, with more routes from Jakarta planned. Upon the launch of regular services, the Minister of State Owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir, stated that Pelita Air would be solely focusing on the domestic market as opposed to flying international routes, referring to the size of the domestic Indonesian aviation market. However, later in 2022, reports emerged of plans for the airline to start Hajj operations to Saudi Arabia in 2023. On 18 August 2025, the airline commenced its first cross border flights to Singapore, effectively ending its status as a domestic-only airline.

Destinations

As of June 2024, Pelita Air flies to eight Indonesian destinations out of its hub at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport:

Fleet

Current fleet

As of July 2026, Pelita Air operates the following aircraft:

Historical fleet

Pelita Air has previously operated the following aircraft:

Accidents and incidents

On 23 January 1980, during a flight from Bandung to Wirasaba Air Base via Jakarta, A Pelita Air CASA C-212 Aviocar (registration PK-XCE) flew into a hill in bad weather at 2700 feet, while being cleared to descend from 6500 feet to 4500 feet. It hit a tall rasamala tree on the slope of Mount Sanggabuwana before crashing on the slope of Si Monyet mountain. All 11 occupants were killed.

On 24 January 1984, A Pelita Air CASA C-212 Aviocar (registration PK-PCL) crashed in Mount Lokon while descending out of 3000 feet, near Manado, North Sulawesi. 6 of the 9 occupants died and the aircraft was written off.

On 2 January 1990, while on the way to Palembang, a CASA 212 operated by Pelita Air (registration PK-PCM) experienced an engine trouble. The aircraft ditched and sank into Java sea. 7 people were killed.

On 6 December 2023, Pelita Air Flight 205, an Airbus A320-200 (registration PK-PWD), which was to fly from Surabaya to Jakarta, canceled its takeoff due to a bomb threat at Juanda International Airport, Surabaya. All passengers were asked to disembark, and one person was secured by officers.

On 19 February 2026, Pelita Air Flight 7101, an Air Tractor AT-802 (registration PK-PAA), crashed at Krayan Hills in Nunukan, North Kalimantan. 1 out of 1 occupant were killed.