How do you solve a problem like Merpati?

Indonesia’s state-owned domestic airline limps on

If there is such a thing as a God of Lost Causes even he, or she, would be hard pressed to save ailing state-owned Indonesian domestic carrier Merpati Nusantara.

Indeed, why Merpati is still flying is one of those small mysteries of the aviation world. The carrier has been in dire straits for years, had repeated cash injections from its owners, put forward numerous new business plans aimed at recovery but remains mired in red ink – to the tune of $680 million.