Garuda pilots call off strike plans, airline to break even this year: CEO

Pilots at Indonesian flag carrier Garuda have agreed not to go on strike, CE Pahala Mansury said Friday, easing pressure on the airline’s earnings at a time when oil prices are surging. The Garuda Pilot Association (APG) had threatened last month that at least 1,300 pilots and 5,000 cabin crew members from the carrier would go on strike, over complaints about management, reduction in flight hours and the removal of annual raises. Mansury said the airline still expected to break even in 2018, despite suffering from higher oil prices and rupiah depreciation, as well as the pilot discontent. “We expect to earn a profit in the third quarter,” Mansury said. Garuda and the APG did not comment on whether pilots would be receiving a raise as part of the agreement cancelling the strike. <br/>