INDONESIA Lion Air Group launched its full-service subsidiary, Batik Air, yesterday, with a twice-daily Jakarta-Manado flight slated to be the latter’s first service come May 3.
The launch was postponed earlier this month to allow the parent group to focus on recovery following the Lion Air crash in Bali on April 13 (TTG Asia e-Daily, April 18, 2013).
Batik Air will begin operations with a fleet of six Boeing 737-900ERs this year, serving routes between Jakarta and Balikpapan, Pekanbaru and Ambon.
The aircraft has 180 seats including 12 business and 168 economy, offering a seat pitch of 32 inches and 29 inches in the respective classes. The interior is equipped with individual touch-screen entertainment monitors and telecommunications services.
Lion Air general affairs director, Edward Sirait, said: “(Passengers) will be able to make calls and access the Internet on board at a later stage. We are in the process of materialising (the telecommunication service) with related parties.”
Lion Group has also placed on order for five Boeing 787 Dreamliners – scheduled for delivery in 2015 – to strengthen Batik Air’s international operations.
