Brokjob is pleased to have attained many Norwegian colleagues since he arrived, currently 13 Norwegians pilots, out of at total of 170 pilots, now working for Susi Air. Susi Air has more airplanes in order and Brokjob tells that on average 3 Norwegian applicants are selected for interview on a monthly basis, and approximately 1 Norwegian is among the 10 pilots employed every month to fly the new airplanes.
Susi Air was founded in late 2004 by Susi Pudjiastuti and Christian von Strombeck to service the local fishing communities of Western Indonesia and enable them to quickly supply lobsters and fresh fish to many markets in Asia. Shortly after the foundation, the tsunami of Boxing Day 2004 hit Sumatra and Susi Air became crucial in the transport of life saving medicine and equipment to the victims.
In general Susi Air offers flights to the whole region, with a speciality on being able to land at more remote areas. Given the size of the country, the number of islands and challenges pertaining to infrastructure, Susi Air offers services of high demand with local bases throughout the country.
Brokjob mentions that in addition to be a passenger and Cargo aircraft charter Company, Susi Air also offers medivac with high speed specialised aircraft. Susi Air cooperate with several medical institutions to provide the best medical evacuation available, either you need to go to a better hospital in Indonesia, Singapore etc. The company is used by the government for VIP flights and subsidised flights. They are also often used by private sector companies for contracts, such as the mining sector.
Susi Pudjiastuti, the CEO of Susi air, is a huge inspiration for many Indonesians as she started with two empty hands and is now a successful business woman running an airline with close to 50 airplanes.