Susi Air’s New Routes
Susi Air, a small but resilient Indonesian airline, has once again captured public attention—not for its usual routes to remote eastern regions, but for launching new scheduled flights connecting Bandung and Yogyakarta, as well as routes from Semarang and Yogyakarta to the tourist haven of Karimunjawa. While this expansion is welcome from a connectivity standpoint, it also reflects deeper political dynamics that warrant public scrutiny.
The Tokyo Post
So, president Prabowo Subianto has nominated Nurmala Kartini Sjahrir, sister of Luhut Binsar Pandjatan and mother of Pandu Sjahrir (Chief Investment Officer/CIO of sovereign wealth fund Danantara) as Indonesian ambassador to Japan, one of the most strategic diplomatic postings.
Chaotic Batik Air
“You’re lucky for one hour late. We’ve been waiting four hours, but no confirmation when we will be on board to Semarang. If we took train, we’re in Semarang already,” one grumpy passenger of Batik Air said on Friday (Jul 4) at the Soekarno-Hatta international airport. Our one-hour late, turned out, extended to three hour for Jakarta-Labuan Bajo flight that day.
Revisiting Bakrie World (2)
Shares of Bakrieland Development (ELTY), property arm of Bakrie Group, were traded flat at Rp10 Friday (Jul 4) to make a market capitalisation of Rp435 billion, not even one-tenth of the company’s equity (Rp5.96 trillion by March 31, 2025).
Risky bet on Koperasi Merah Putih
Thousands of “Merah Putih” cooperatives (KMP) in villages all across Indonesia are ready to be launched next week on July 12–the National Cooperative Day, the government claimed. Some have even commenced operations since late June. This mega project, which aims to enforce rural economic independence, brings hope to many people, yet at the same time raises concerns that it might end up adding more to the existing problems, including financial risks to state banks under sovereign wealth fund Danantara.
Revisiting Bakrie World (1)
Visi Media Asia (VIVA), parent company of two TV stations—-TVOne and ANTV, is one of few companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) that yet to release financial report for full year 2024 and the first quarter of 2025. In the period of late 2022 to September 2024, VIVA slashed nearly 50% of its workforce.
Reality check on LRT City
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) has become an increasingly popular urban solution in the face of mobility crises and overcrowded cities. In Indonesia, one of the flagship TOD projects is LRT City, developed by PT Adhi Commuter Properti (ADCP), a subsidiary of the state-owned construction PT Adhi Karya (Persero) Tbk. Yet instead of becoming a catalyst for growth, LRT City now exposes a harsher truth: razor-thin profit margins, liquidity pressures, and looming legal disputes.
Mass transportation projects update
Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train (HST) reported 11.7% growth of passengers in the first five months of 2025. With 2.38 million passengers, daily average was around 16,000, still way below initial target of around 30,000. With huge losses incured and new priorities from Prabowo administration, extension of the network to Surabaya (East Java) might slow down significantly. How about LRT and MRT?
AI Runway: A Blessing or a Threat for Indonesia’s Game Industry?
The global gaming industry is undergoing a seismic shift. Not because of new console releases or blockbuster titles like Elden Ring 2, but due to a technology that’s quietly replacing parts of the creative process: generative AI.
Peak Digital Capital: Between Creative Acceleration and the Fog of Integrity
Launched in March 2023, Peak Digital Capital entered Indonesia’s digital content landscape as a promising accelerator for content creators. Backed by Grace Tahir (Everest Media) and Yohanes Auri (Flux Creative Universe), Peak positioned itself as a one-stop growth platform offering not only funding but also access to networks, capacity building, and leadership development for creators across scales—from nano to macro.