BATIK Air, the full-service airline in Indonesia’s Lion Group, has announced plans for a major expansion beginning the second half of 2014, earmarking Singapore as its first international destination.
Batik Air’s CEO, Captain Achmad Luthfie, said: “We have chosen Singapore to launch our international services because up until now, it is still the most popular destination for Indonesians.” He added that even as Singapore-based carriers have added capacity and flight frequencies in the last year, Indonesian carriers have not done so. As a result, there is little concern about the availability of slots. The launch of this route is projected for November or December 2014.
In 2015, Batik Air expects to add Kuala Lumpur in the first quarter as well as a Batam-Hong Kong connection. Other routes being studied are those linking Denpasar (Bali) to Perth and Brisbane. Lion Group’s proposed hubs in Batam and Manado will be established by May or June 2015.
The airline will also increase its domestic network from 10 Indonesian cities to 22, with new points being Banjarmasin, Batam, Gorontalo, Kendari, Medan, Padang, Palembang, Palu, Timika, Tarakan and Solo.
Batik Air currently operates six B737-900ERs, and will take delivery of six Airbus A320s and four B737-800s starting August. These will continue to feature a 32-inch seat pitch in economy class and 45 inches in business class.
The first Fibre-to-Screen System (FTTS) will also be installed in the cabins of the new fleet. The fibre-optic connection weighs only one-third of the legacy system and not only offers passengers a more responsive touchscreen but also frees up space under some seats previously taken up by the inflight-entertainment box.
Operating some of the longest domestic routes in Indonesia of up to six hours (from Jakarta to Jayapura), Luthfie said “passengers would better appreciate the more generous legroom and inflight entertainment system onboard the new planes”.
