JAKARTA. Passengers have requested that the management of Batavia Air in Palu refund their tickets due to its bankruptcy-related flight cancellations. Batavia Air halted operations as of Thursday after the Central Jakarta Commercial Court declared the carrier bankrupt.

“We urge the management of Batavia Air in Palu to refund tickets as soon as possible,” said Hendra, a passenger of the Palu-Surabaya route, on Thursday. According to him, the company’s management had no reason to refuse refunds.

Hendra said he planned to travel to Surabaya on Friday. Several days ago, he bought a Batavia ticket worth Rp 600,000 (US$61.6) from a travel agent in Palu.

“I asked the travel agent to refund my ticket due to the flight cancellation. They said they could not as they have to await a decision from the management of Batavia Air in Palu,” he said.

Lian, another passenger, hoped that the carrier’s management could transfer him to another carrier.

“I hope that the management can transfer us to other carriers instead of returning our money,” he said, referring to several other carriers such as Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and Sriwijaya Air.

As of 12 a.m. local time, the Batavia Air counter at Mutiara Airport in Palu and the carrier’s management office at Jl. Sis Aljufri are filled with passengers. Many requested the management to refund their tickets. Batavia’s management in Palu has yet to confirm the flight cancellations.

The judge who presided over the trial, Agus Iskandar, said Batavia Air’s current business condition was eligible to be declared bankrupt in line with Law No.37/2004 on bankruptcy. (ebf/ The Jakarta Post)