Bouraq Indonesia Airlines was established in 1970 as a privately owned company by Jarry Albert Sumendap, and it stayed in the possession of his family ever since.[2] It was named foral-Buraq, a flying horse in Muslim tradition.Bali Air was another airline owned by Sumendap, which was co-operating with Bouraq. Initially the airline operatedDouglas DC-3s. From 1973 the turbopropHawker Siddeley HS 748 was introduced on Bouraq services.
Both airlines were shut down in 2005 after prolonged financial problems. The last scheduled Bouraq flight took place in July 2005. Theairline licence was later revoked in 2007.[3]
Prior to the airline closure, the network had been reduced compared to the 1980s, due to the rising financial problems. In late 2004, Bouraq served the following destinations:[6]
On 26 August 1980 at 06:29 local time, aVickers Viscount (registered PK-IVS) crashed nearJakarta during a scheduled passenger flight fromBanjarmasin which was operated on behalf of Bouraq, killing 31 passengers and 6 crew on board. The pilots had lost control of the aircraft over Tanjung Karawang whilst approachingKemayoran Airport when the rightelevator broke off. It was later determined that the fastenings had exceeded their lifetime by a factor of three without having been substituted during maintenance checkups.[8]
On 9 January 1993, a BouraqHawker Siddeley HS 748 (registered PH-IHE) crashed nearJuanda International Airport, killing 11 of the 39 passengers and 4 of the 5 crew on board. The aircraft had just left the airport for a scheduled flight to Banjarmasin, when the right engine had a failure. The pilots tried to return to Juanda Airport, but ultimately failed to do so. The aircraft crashed into a swamp, broke in two and caught fire.[9]
On 6 August 1995, a Bouraq HS 748 (registered PK-KHL) crashed intoMount Kumawa at a height of 2,800 metres, killing 4 passengers and 6 crew on board. The aircraft had been on a chartered flight fromDumatubin Airport toKaimana Airport.[10]
On 23 January 1976, a BouraqHawker Siddeley HS 748 (registered PK-IHD) was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident atMutiara Airport. None of the 27 passengers and 5 crew on board were seriously injured.[11]
On 9 February 1977, another Bouraq HS 748 (this time registered PH-IHK) had to be written off after a hard landing atSultan Hasanuddin International Airport, which caused the landing gear to collapse. There were no reports concerning any injuries of the 46 passengers and 5 crew on board.[12]
On 10 December 1982, the nose gear of a Bouraq HS 748 (registered PH-IHI) collapsed upon landing atSam Ratulangi International Airport, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway. Even though the plane was destroyed, all of the 42 passengers and three crew members survived.[13]
On 4 July 1988, a BouraqVickers Viscount (registered PK-IVW) was damaged beyond economic repair when the starboard and nose gear collapsed during a tailwind landing atSultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport. There were no notable injuries among the 71 passengers and 5 crew members on board[14]
On 4 January 1989, a Bouraq HS 748 suffered extensive damage when the pilots had to perform abelly landing atSyamsudin Noor Airport, following a failure of the landing gears with 47 passengers and five crew on board.[15]
On 28 August 1992, a Bouraq Vickers Viscount (registered PH-IVX) was destroyed in an engine fire at Syamsudin Noor Airport. The fire started during the take-off run, but the pilots noticed it in time to abort take-off and evacuate the 64 passengers (plus six crew), before the aircraft was engulfed by the flames.[16]
On 26 September 1994, a Bouraq Viscount (registered PK-IVU) was damaged in a landing accident atPontianak Airport during a ferry flight with only two pilots on board. The aircraft could be repaired and returned to service.[17]
On 11 July 1996 at 09:00 local time, Bouraq lost another HS 748 (registered PK-IHN) in a runway overshot atPattimura Airport. The pilots had to abort the take-off for a scheduled flight toManado because of an engine failure, but the remaining length of the runway did not suffice to bring the aircraft to a halt, so that it collided with a dyke. There were no serious injuries amongst the 43 passengers and five crew members.[18]
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