Monday, February 28, 2011

General Information Of Batam

Batam is one of the 3,000 islands, which make up the Riau Archipelago and is closest to Singapore, which is only 20 km away or twenty minutes by air-conditioned ferry. It has a rapid-growing population of around 100.000. As the island develops into a major industrial and tourist area, it attracts an ever-increasing population from other Indonesian islands who see Batam as a haven of opportunity. Once almost uninhabited, save for a few scattered fishing communities, Batam's history took a sharp turn beginning 1969, when it became support base for the State-owned 'Pertamina oil company' and its offshore oil exploration. In 1971 a presidential decree designated it as an industrial area and in 1975 the Batam Authority was formed. In 1978 Batam was established as a bonded area.

In addition to the oil support industries of Batu Ampar and a fast growing electronics industry, Batam now attracts increasing numbers of tourists. Many come from Singapore for a short holiday with friends and family, duty-free shopping and great seafood. The visitors to Singapore hope over for a day or weekend trip.

International standard hotels and numerous economy establishments cater to the expanding demand for accommodation. Business, as they say, is booming. An island two-thirds the size of Singapore, Batam progresses by leaps and bounds. Where virgin jungle once stood are now whole new towns, mosques, churches, temples and supermarkets, soon to be followed by reservoirs with enough water to supply a population of 800,000 and for industrial use, an airport-to become an international gateway - a fine telecommunication system, well equipped industrial parks, and the beginnings of a large new urban center.

Administratively, Batam enjoys a unique status under the Batam Island Development Authority (BIDA). The island is duty-free. The holiday market, this means duty free shopping in town, hotel shops and the ferry terminal. For the businessmen it means wide-ranging opportunities for investments. While all this change takes place, Batam has retained pockets of rural charm, peaceful spots with quiet beaches. Fishing villages supply delicious fresh seafood to visitors. White sand beaches are fringed with palms and kampung life carries on almost undisturbed. Batam makes a great break.


One of Batam's biggest attractions is the fresh and delicious seafood. Giant prawns, live still crawling crabs, live fish taken straight from nets in the sea, lobsters, clams and shellfish are cooked in a variety of styles and all delicious. Try the local 'gong-gong' conch shell where the succulent meat inside is fished out with a pin and dipped in a spicy sauce before eating.

History

 The history of Batam is tightly interwoven with nearby Bintan island and the rest of the Riau archipelago. According to Chinese chronicles Batam was already inhabited as early as 231 A.D. when Singapore island was still called Pulau Ujung (Ujung Island). It came under control of the Malacca kingdom from the 13th century, and later taken over by the Sultan of Johor who ruled until the 18th century. The coastal villages that face Singapore is said to have been a hideout for pirates who hijacked ships in the strait.

In 1824 the name of the island again appear in the Treaty of London which led to the division of the region between the Dutch and the British. Batam and the surrounding islands later became part of the Riau Lingga Kingdom, a situation that lasted until 1911, when the Dutch East Indies colonial administration took over.
The People

Close to Sekupang, a large part of the population still make their living from fishing and sea transport.The native people of Batam are of Malay origin, but with the rapid growth and development of the area various ethnic groups from all over Indonesia has come here in search for jobs and a better life. Traditionally most of the people live in coastal villages, while the "Orang Laut" (sea people) continue to live on boathouses and boats and generally fish for a living. Some of their catch are sold to Singapore. Bahasa Indonesia is the language used to communicate among the multi-ethnic population here, while many now also understand English, which is commonly used in business communication.

What is BATAM ???


Batam is one of the largest islands in the Riau archipelago, and not long ago it was just another poor island with coastal villages and unspoiled nature. The declaration of the Batam free trade zone in 1989 has turned the island upside down, after just a few years of rapid construction it now has a modern airport, tourist and business centers and a still growing infrastructure that has changed the island completely.

It is no secret that nearby Singapore is the role model, and the goal is eventually to become one of the biggest ports of Southeast Asia and a major center of international trade, industry and commerce. The strategic location close to the Malacca Strait and Singapore will certainly help reaching this goal, but like the rest of Indonesia the economy and development here was dealt a major blow during and after the Asia economic crisis in the late 1990's.

Batam is actually one of fastest growing tourist destinations in Indonesia in terms of visitor arrivals. There are several tourist resorts here with luxurious hotels and golf courses. Many visitors however choose to use Batam only as an entry point, it is only 40 minutes from Singapore with boat, and then leave with the first available transport to other destinations in Indonesia.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Mandala Air

Mandala is a national private airline established in 1969 and has served for more than 40 years of air transportation needs in Indonesia.


In 2006, Mandala was acquired by Cardig International and Indigo Partners aimed to position Mandala the Benchmark airlines in Indonesia for safety and friendly services.

Mandala has successfully transformed and restructured the airline and will continue to expand its fleet through the order of 25 Airbus A320 in 2007. With the purchase of new aircraft, Mandala will serve domestic and regional services with single type of aircraft, all Airbus fleet. Currently, all aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is trusted to Singapore Airlines Engineering Company (SIAEC)

Now you can save your cost of travel by not checking in luggage.

We believe that you should have total flexibility in your travel choice; which is why we are introducing this initiative - it will lower the cost of travel. People who don't want to buy a bag, and instead use carry-on bags, will save money.

It means you don't have to pay for something you don't want to use - If you don't want to check-in a bag you will save money. This allows us to lower the fares and make cheaper tickets more available; so everybody benefits!

For passengers that want to travel with luggage, you can add this during your ticket purchase or pay at the airport; paying in advance is cheaper!

Terms and Conditions

  1. All Check-in Baggage fees are non-refundable.
  2. Check-in Baggage fees are transferable to other Mandala flight if passenger change their flight.
  3. Check-in Baggage fees apply per passenger per sector.
  4. Passenger can purchase Check-in Baggage at the airport on the day of departure.
Are you tired of waiting to check-in? Do you want to be the first to board the plane? Do you wish your bag would arrive at the baggage area first? Do you want this treatment without paying for an expensive ticket? If this sounds like a good idea then QJump is designed for you!

QJump is a revolutionary new product that is designed to meet the needs of people who are tired of queuing. It's simple and easy. QJump gives you the freedom to jump the queues in the following way:
  1. A dedicated check-in line so you go right to the front of the queue.
  2. You board the aircraft first before all other passengers - great to grab that overhead locker space.
  3. Your checked baggage will be first to be delivered to the baggage claim area.

Terms and Conditions
  1. All QJump fees are non-refundable.
  2. QJump fees are transferable to other Mandala flight if passenger change their flight.
  3. Qjump applies per passenger per sector.
  4. QJump is applied to all passengers and sectors that are booked in the same booking number.
  5. Passengers cannot purchase QJump at the airport on the day of departure.
  6. No additional charge for infant traveling with passenger who has purchased QJump.
  7. If QJump passenger is not present at pre-call QJump boarding, Mandala will continue to call regular passenger for boarding.
Contact Information
Mandala Air
Ruko Rafflesia Business Centre Blok F/4 Batam Centre, Batam
Phone     : +62 778 472727
Fax         : +62 778 472 728
Website : http://www.mandalaair.com

Sriwijaya Air

Sriwijaya Air is one of the Indonesian domestic leading airlines. It carries over 500,000 passengers per month, from its hub at Soekarno Hatta International Airport to more than 35 destinations in 2 regional countries, including extraordinary and popular tourism spots in Indonesia.


Sriwijaya Air primary business is to provide passenger and freight transportation both in national and regional areas. Since its established on November 10th, 2003, Sriwijaya Air has achieved all of the goals set out in its mission and vision such as: delivering high quality services, competitive airline business nationally and regionally, expanding and integrating Sriwijaya's Air industry worldwide, adopting newest technology backbone and effective and efficient business management, attracting domestic and international tourist and growing as a profitable business entity.
The company which based in Jakarta survived the global crisis in 2008 with virtually no loss in business, in fact, it expanded its services to the eastern Indonesia. Moreover, new and modified airplanes enabled Sriwijaya Air to continue its operations through the region.


Our aircrafts are painted in blue, red and white colors which each of the color represents :
  • White : Clean hearthed employees
  • Red : The courage and wisdom in solving problems and making decisions of the team
  • Blue : Passion for traveling to all corners of our beloved archipelago.
SAFETY

Safety is one of our most concern and the absolute priority above all. Sriwjaya's Air Technical Division together with ANI and GMF performs full technical maintenance on every aircraft type. This confirms the high level of the aviation safety and fleet reliability of the airline. According to Boeing Company, Sriwijaya Air had performed excellently in promoting air safety and flight training. Thanks to the hard work of the engineering division and the entire team of Sriwijaya Air, we managed to get an award from Boeing Company to promote aviation safety and flight training. The hard work of the Sriwijaya Air has succeeded in bringing national and international recognition. The company also received an award from the Indonesia's Department of Transportation in 2008.

OUR MISSION

Everyone on board is our partner. Yes, we acknowledge that nowadays everyone can fly, however we fly them with pride and prestige by implementing our quality of services in pre, in and post flight. We assure that our flights are affordable yet comfortable.

Contact Information
Sriwijaya Air
Jl. Kompleks Batama Blok C No.4 Nagoya - Batam
Kepri, Indonesia
Phone : 0778 - 430077
Website : www.sriwijayaair.co.id

Batavia Air

Batavia Air has been operating its business in Indonesia for more than 20 years. Departing from a travel bureau, it increasingly improved its business to provide an air charter flight service. Batavia Air founded in 2001. In 2002, Batavia Air earned an Air Operating Certificate (AOC) and officially deserved for operating its fleet in Indonesia.
With experiences in a travel bureau and airline industry, backed up by accommodated fleet and qualified human resources, they make us to be the first choice and trusted carrier to fly. After all we believe that we can survive and continuously grow to take part in the rapid airlines competition.
Trust Us To Fly

Our tag line Trust Us to Fly has inspired all of our staffs to devote their sincere efforts in giving their best performance for the long lasting of company operation in order to strive for excellence to our customers. Having a high commitment and integrity, we are sure that they make us a trusted carrier and our customers will trust us to fly.

Vision & Mission

Becoming a national airline company striving for safety, economical and enjoyable flight as well as keeping commitment of customer satisfaction in order to be the first choice of air transportation user.

Contact Information
Batavia Air
Komp. Penuin Center Blok E No. 3 - Batam
Kepri, 29432 Indonesia
Telp : 0778 - 458866
Fax  : 0778 - 427240

Hang Nadim Airport

Hang Nadim Airport is an airport located in Batam, Riau Islands province. With a 4040 meter long runway, this airport has the longest runway in Indonesia. Hang Nadim can accommodate eighteen wide-bodied aircraft Boeing 767. Since the company in May 1995, Hang Nadim Airport already serves domestic flights. Since December 1995, this airport also serves international flights by up to 250 times the number of flights per week.
Hang Nadim International Airport is located in Batu Besar area about 20 km from the city center of Batam and the airport can accommodate 4 million passengers. With the foundation of the longest in Indonesia, then in the future of this airport will become one of the entrances to the Indonesian foreign airlines.
Transportation to and from Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands

There are several types of public transportation you can use to get to the Hang Nadim International Airport:

Taxi  
By using a taxi, the time it takes to get to the airport more quickly, but of course the price paid should be more expensive .. Rates of travel by taxi from downtown to the airport of Batam is about Rp 75,000.

Bus DAMRI
Public transportation is fairly cheap means of transportation. By using our DAMRI bus to go downtown or crossing the ferry terminal.

Facility located at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands

Some facilities and public facilities located at the Hang Nadim International Airport is :
  • ATM 
  • Wartel 
  • Mini market 
  • Restaurant & Cafe 
  • Bank 
  • Shopping Arcade 
  • Waving Arcade 
  • Post Office 
  • Bank 
  • Money Changer
Contact Information
The phone number Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands :
+62 778 761507