Lion buys 234.....
Australia may well be a possibility according to this Bloomberg article.
Lion Air Plans Asia to Australia Ventures With 1,000 Planes - Bloomberg
Lion Air Plans Asia to Australia Ventures With 1,000 Planes - Bloomberg
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A warm Airbus welcome for Lion Air's milestone A320 Family order - YouTube
Looks good... the Lion Airbus..
Looks good... the Lion Airbus..
Last edited by jetjockey696; 25th Apr 2013 at 15:02.
Australia may well be a possibility according to this Bloomberg article.
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B787 Lion Air....
TRANSLATED.....
PT Lion Mentari Airlines said it would bring the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. "Come early 2015, when asked where, likely to Batik Air," said Lion Air general director Edward Sirait, the launch Batik Air, on Thursday evening, 25 April 2013.
The plane, he said, will be used for long haul flights or "long haul". "Because if it was wasteful for the country," he said. Next year, Lion will bring five Dreamliner aircraft.
For the value of the investments made in bringing the Dreamliner, Edward claimed not to know. Price of the aircraft, he said, the content varies depending on the plane. "Because our new order, not to determine how much it costs," said Edward.
Thursday 25 April 2013, Lion Mentari Airlines launched a Batik. Lion Air's subsidiary will operate with WiFi facility. "Passengers can call and use WiFi during flights," said Edward.
He explains, the airline wants to meet the needs of passengers against information technology facilities. To access phone and WiFi, Batik Air partnership with Telkomsel. Edward mentioned no problems with regulation over the technology used in the flight declared eligible.
"Regulators will create the rules of the game," said Edward. WiFi tools for that, he said, is mounted on the plane. But it is still not activated equipment. It refers to the value of the investment for the installation of WiFi equipment on each plane reached US $ 3-4 million.
For operation, the airline still has to take care of the licensing to the Ministry of communication and Informatics. After permission was out, Edward went on, the new airline will operate the aircraft with WiFi.
Edward revealed, this time of year there will be 36 new aircraft. "But we will see, is priority to Lion, Malindo, or where," he said. However, he said, Indonesia's market as "base" PT Lion Mentari Airlines still take precedence.
This year, Batik Air would operate six Boeing 737-900 ER. Investment per aircraft ranges from US $ 80 million to 90 million without WiFi facility. "Without WiFi, investing each plane is US $ 80 million to 85 million," said Edward.
Edward explained, comes with Batik service "full service" because of Indonesia's economic growth, including for the medium. He also referred to other considerations.
"As one" airline "' right not to be present in two other categories," he said. Edward said, Batik Water can be an alternative society that has been using the services of "low cost carrier" (LCC) to try a flight of "full service" One water.
Batik Air will start operating on May 3. Routes offered are Jakarta-Manado and Jakarta to Balikpapan. While starting May 8, 2013, Batik Water will open flights for the route Jakarta-Pekanbaru and Jakarta-Ambon.
TEMPO.CO – Jum, 26 Apr 2013
PT Lion Mentari Airlines said it would bring the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. "Come early 2015, when asked where, likely to Batik Air," said Lion Air general director Edward Sirait, the launch Batik Air, on Thursday evening, 25 April 2013.
The plane, he said, will be used for long haul flights or "long haul". "Because if it was wasteful for the country," he said. Next year, Lion will bring five Dreamliner aircraft.
For the value of the investments made in bringing the Dreamliner, Edward claimed not to know. Price of the aircraft, he said, the content varies depending on the plane. "Because our new order, not to determine how much it costs," said Edward.
Thursday 25 April 2013, Lion Mentari Airlines launched a Batik. Lion Air's subsidiary will operate with WiFi facility. "Passengers can call and use WiFi during flights," said Edward.
He explains, the airline wants to meet the needs of passengers against information technology facilities. To access phone and WiFi, Batik Air partnership with Telkomsel. Edward mentioned no problems with regulation over the technology used in the flight declared eligible.
"Regulators will create the rules of the game," said Edward. WiFi tools for that, he said, is mounted on the plane. But it is still not activated equipment. It refers to the value of the investment for the installation of WiFi equipment on each plane reached US $ 3-4 million.
For operation, the airline still has to take care of the licensing to the Ministry of communication and Informatics. After permission was out, Edward went on, the new airline will operate the aircraft with WiFi.
Edward revealed, this time of year there will be 36 new aircraft. "But we will see, is priority to Lion, Malindo, or where," he said. However, he said, Indonesia's market as "base" PT Lion Mentari Airlines still take precedence.
This year, Batik Air would operate six Boeing 737-900 ER. Investment per aircraft ranges from US $ 80 million to 90 million without WiFi facility. "Without WiFi, investing each plane is US $ 80 million to 85 million," said Edward.
Edward explained, comes with Batik service "full service" because of Indonesia's economic growth, including for the medium. He also referred to other considerations.
"As one" airline "' right not to be present in two other categories," he said. Edward said, Batik Water can be an alternative society that has been using the services of "low cost carrier" (LCC) to try a flight of "full service" One water.
Batik Air will start operating on May 3. Routes offered are Jakarta-Manado and Jakarta to Balikpapan. While starting May 8, 2013, Batik Water will open flights for the route Jakarta-Pekanbaru and Jakarta-Ambon.
TEMPO.CO – Jum, 26 Apr 2013
Last edited by jetjockey696; 27th Apr 2013 at 11:30.
Batik Air will start operating on May 3. Routes offered are Jakarta-Manado and Jakarta to Balikpapan. While starting May 8, 2013, Batik Water will open flights for the route Jakarta-Pekanbaru and Jakarta-Ambon.
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Lion Guns for .......
The company behind low-cost carrier Lion Air plans to invest Rp 20 trillion ($2.1 billion) to build an express railway line to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, improving transportation links between Jakarta and the Tanggerang aviation hub.
“If the government allows Lion Air Group in as investors, we would be very happy,” Rusdi Kirana, Lion Mentari Airlines’s president director, was quoted as saying by Investor Daily.
The national government had previously announced plans to build a 30 kilometer railway line linking the airport with Manggarai station in South Jakarta. The link has been extended by 15 kilometers to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta. The government is also discussing plans to convert Halim airport into the main terminal for low-cost airlines.
“We are ready in terms of financing,” Rusdi said, adding that overseas banks would back Lion in the project. In 2011, the Export-Import Bank of the United States helped Lion purchase 230 Boeing 737s for a listing price of $21.7 billion.
The Transportation Ministry said it received an expression of interest from the airline two months ago, and is now looking for other investors to bid.
“Lion has an interest in servicing its customers … but this is also a huge project,” said Tundjung Inderawan, director general for rail transportation at the ministry.
Sarana Multi Infrastruktur, a government infrastructure financing arm, is conducting a feasibility study for the railway project. Should all plans go ahead, the express railway project will be ready for tender by early next year.
The express train project is one of two seeking to link Soekarno-Hatta with downtown Jakarta. Another proposed line will detour through Tangerang.
That project is backed by Railink, a joint venture of state-controlled airport operator Angkasa Pura II and train operator Kereta Api Indonesia. It is expected to be finished in 2015, behind its initial target of August 2014.
Established in 2000, Lion is now the largest privately held airline in Indonesia and is expanding its business from the airline industry to property.
Lion is set to open a 170-room hotel in Manado, North Sulawesi, this year.
On Thursday, Lion launched Batik Air, which will provide full service to passengers, including food and in-flight entertainment. Lion is seeking to fly Batik Air services to Australia.
Lion in March launched Malindo Airlines, which is in partnership with Malaysia’s National Aerospace and Defence Industries (NADI) to service Malaysia.
Lion signed a deal worth $24 billion — recorded as the most valuable commercial order in history — with France’s Airbus on March 18, ordering 234 jets to be delivered from 2014 to 2026.
JG 29/04/13
“If the government allows Lion Air Group in as investors, we would be very happy,” Rusdi Kirana, Lion Mentari Airlines’s president director, was quoted as saying by Investor Daily.
The national government had previously announced plans to build a 30 kilometer railway line linking the airport with Manggarai station in South Jakarta. The link has been extended by 15 kilometers to Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta. The government is also discussing plans to convert Halim airport into the main terminal for low-cost airlines.
“We are ready in terms of financing,” Rusdi said, adding that overseas banks would back Lion in the project. In 2011, the Export-Import Bank of the United States helped Lion purchase 230 Boeing 737s for a listing price of $21.7 billion.
The Transportation Ministry said it received an expression of interest from the airline two months ago, and is now looking for other investors to bid.
“Lion has an interest in servicing its customers … but this is also a huge project,” said Tundjung Inderawan, director general for rail transportation at the ministry.
Sarana Multi Infrastruktur, a government infrastructure financing arm, is conducting a feasibility study for the railway project. Should all plans go ahead, the express railway project will be ready for tender by early next year.
The express train project is one of two seeking to link Soekarno-Hatta with downtown Jakarta. Another proposed line will detour through Tangerang.
That project is backed by Railink, a joint venture of state-controlled airport operator Angkasa Pura II and train operator Kereta Api Indonesia. It is expected to be finished in 2015, behind its initial target of August 2014.
Established in 2000, Lion is now the largest privately held airline in Indonesia and is expanding its business from the airline industry to property.
Lion is set to open a 170-room hotel in Manado, North Sulawesi, this year.
On Thursday, Lion launched Batik Air, which will provide full service to passengers, including food and in-flight entertainment. Lion is seeking to fly Batik Air services to Australia.
Lion in March launched Malindo Airlines, which is in partnership with Malaysia’s National Aerospace and Defence Industries (NADI) to service Malaysia.
Lion signed a deal worth $24 billion — recorded as the most valuable commercial order in history — with France’s Airbus on March 18, ordering 234 jets to be delivered from 2014 to 2026.
JG 29/04/13
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Yep.. 4 Required day off per month.. Not many respecting pilots left...life is getting tough.. if you dont want..they are many other pilots knocking on the door.. they keep coming to indonesian..love though flying hours..as many pilots told me..
4 RDO..per month..its normal here in indonesia.. except Garuda has longer rest period than 9hrs. same as the 12 days annual leave, it Indonesia requirement..
4 RDO..per month..its normal here in indonesia.. except Garuda has longer rest period than 9hrs. same as the 12 days annual leave, it Indonesia requirement..
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you are generalising..it only happens in Lion, dude.. It doesnt happen in Garuda, Merpati, Sriwijaya, not to mention AirAsia..They all have minimum 8 days RDO.. and airasia has 28days annual leave..
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Lion Air and their affiliates are nothting but a bunch of bums touting a bottom feeding unsafe, unprofessional operation.
Who has ever heard of a professional operation not providing a valid training schedule. They offer a SIM card for phone which one has to purchase. Then one has to sit around on their arse awating for a SMS to advise what, where, and training will be held for the next day.
No wonder this airline will never see the US or Euroland.
Who has ever heard of a professional operation not providing a valid training schedule. They offer a SIM card for phone which one has to purchase. Then one has to sit around on their arse awating for a SMS to advise what, where, and training will be held for the next day.
No wonder this airline will never see the US or Euroland.
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For comparison sake, how does Lion Air T&C and days off per month compare to:
1. Air Asia
2. Silkair
3. Sister company Batik Air
Just trying to understand whether Lion Air will see an exodus for other LCCs or bigger national airlines when training bonds are paid off - or whether T&Cs of other LCCs are relatively similar.
Also, there is talk that Lion Air could place aircraft from their huge Boeing/Airbus orders in Australia. So, does Lion Air have the legal ability to set-up an airline within Australia to fly domestic flights? Would it require a JV with an Australian company to do so? Doubt Lion Air could attract any pilots on their low Indonesian wages...
1. Air Asia
2. Silkair
3. Sister company Batik Air
Just trying to understand whether Lion Air will see an exodus for other LCCs or bigger national airlines when training bonds are paid off - or whether T&Cs of other LCCs are relatively similar.
Also, there is talk that Lion Air could place aircraft from their huge Boeing/Airbus orders in Australia. So, does Lion Air have the legal ability to set-up an airline within Australia to fly domestic flights? Would it require a JV with an Australian company to do so? Doubt Lion Air could attract any pilots on their low Indonesian wages...
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Thirty Indonesian Pilots Grounded for Flying Overtime
just in case you missed this piece of old news...
Thirty Indonesian Pilots Grounded for Flying Overtime
Thirty Indonesian pilots have been temporarily banned from flying for exceeding the maximum working limit in the air.
“Exceeding flying hours causes fatigue and affects flight safety,” said Bambang Ervan, spokesman of the Transportation Ministry, as quoted by Tempo.com on Thursday.
He refused to give details of the airlines.
Each pilot’s grounding term would be adjusted according to the length of their overtime.
The ministry limited the flying hours of a pilot to only nine hours in a day, 30 hours in a week, 110 hours in a month and 1,050 hours in a year.
For cabin crew, their maximum limit — which includes flying hours — is 14 hours in a day, with at least nine hours rest before the next flight.
Bobby Mamahit, head of the human resources development at the Transportation Ministry, said the lack of pilots in Indonesia was one of the underlying reasons behind pilots working overtime.
Bobby told Tempo.com that Indonesian airlines needed 4,000 additional pilots, adding that the country needed on average between 700 and 800 pilots per year.
Alvin Lie, an aviation observer, recently told Tempo.com that it was airline management who forced pilots to work overtime.
“If they [pilots] refused overtime, the next month they would not be given flying hours [by the airline], so their income would drop to only a basic salary,” he said.
But Bambang said that the pilots should be able to reject the request of the airlines to work overtime, rather than face sanctions from the government as the airlines would not be sanctioned.
“Pilots are the ones who suffer the loss if they fly overtime,” Bambang said
JG 25/01/2013.
Thirty Indonesian Pilots Grounded for Flying Overtime
Thirty Indonesian pilots have been temporarily banned from flying for exceeding the maximum working limit in the air.
“Exceeding flying hours causes fatigue and affects flight safety,” said Bambang Ervan, spokesman of the Transportation Ministry, as quoted by Tempo.com on Thursday.
He refused to give details of the airlines.
Each pilot’s grounding term would be adjusted according to the length of their overtime.
The ministry limited the flying hours of a pilot to only nine hours in a day, 30 hours in a week, 110 hours in a month and 1,050 hours in a year.
For cabin crew, their maximum limit — which includes flying hours — is 14 hours in a day, with at least nine hours rest before the next flight.
Bobby Mamahit, head of the human resources development at the Transportation Ministry, said the lack of pilots in Indonesia was one of the underlying reasons behind pilots working overtime.
Bobby told Tempo.com that Indonesian airlines needed 4,000 additional pilots, adding that the country needed on average between 700 and 800 pilots per year.
Alvin Lie, an aviation observer, recently told Tempo.com that it was airline management who forced pilots to work overtime.
“If they [pilots] refused overtime, the next month they would not be given flying hours [by the airline], so their income would drop to only a basic salary,” he said.
But Bambang said that the pilots should be able to reject the request of the airlines to work overtime, rather than face sanctions from the government as the airlines would not be sanctioned.
“Pilots are the ones who suffer the loss if they fly overtime,” Bambang said
JG 25/01/2013.
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Short of Pilots...
Short of Pilots, Government Turns To Civil Servants to Fill Gap
The Transportation Ministry is looking within its own ranks to source talent to overcome the shortage of pilots in the country’s fast-expanding aviation industry.
The effort to test whether the nation’s civil servants would be put to better use at 30,000 feet comes as the government grapples with the twin problems of a glut of bureaucrats — about 4.6 million — and an acute shortage of pilots and pilot instructors.
A large banner reading, “The Transportation Ministry offers civil servants in the ministry opportunities to be trained as pilots,” is on display in front of the ministry’s human resources department in Gambir, Central Jakarta.
Bambang S. Ervan, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the message was correct, saying that it was the first time the idea had been tried.
“[Those who enlist] will be trained at one of our flying schools and, on completion, will obtain the most basic pilot license,” Bambang said.
To obtain an entry-level license, called a private pilot license, trainees must complete 60 flying hours and more than 300 ground-training hours. After graduation, they can fly non-commercial aircraft.
The ministry has two flying schools, one in Curug, Banten, and a second in Banyuwangi, East Java, producing 150 pilot graduates a year between them, Bambang said.
The ministry’s program is scheduled to operate within 18 months.
Bambang said the program was made to fill the gap in Indonesia’s airline industry, which includes 16 scheduled commercial airline operators.
“The aim is to train flight instructors rather than to produce commercial pilots,” Bambang said.
The Transportation Ministry launched the program because it is not allowed to recruit more civil servants under the ongoing recruitment moratorium that has been imposed across most national government agencies as a cost-saving measure.
“There are not enough flight instructors in our schools right now, and we cannot recruit any more people. So the viable option is to train our staff,” Bambang said.
“It is possible for the graduates to become commercial pilots depending on their aptitude and the requirements from the respective airlines. But their first duty is to be instructors,” Bambang said.
Aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo said the government’s program was commendable.
“Anyone can be a pilot, even civil servants, because it depends on whether they can pass all the related aptitude tests,” he added. “I think it is quite innovative for the government to take this approach in addressing [the issue of pilot shortages],” Dudi said.
The rapid expansion of Indonesia’s aviation sector has led to the pilot shortage. According to Dudi, Indonesia needs to produce at least 400 new pilots every year.
Bambang said the recruitment be strictly supervised. “Of course we will not recruit any random person. They will undergo the same rigorous training and procedures as any other pilot trainees,” he said.
Indonesia’s civil service is rife with ill-discipline, including reports of bureaucrats clocking off during working hours and failing drug tests. The country’s aviation industry, meanwhile, faces longstanding security concerns.
The crash of a Lion Air plane into the sea off Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport last month damaged already-weak public confidence in the sector. Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
Bambang said security was the Transportation Ministry’s chief concern. “With or without this program, security is our number one priority,” he said.
Dudi said a similar approach was taken by professional pilots. “Every pilot wants to perform their job safely. Security is their first, second and third priority,” he said.
But he added that Indonesia’s flying schools lag behind their regional counterparts in regard to facilities and the quality of the curriculum.
“For example, our schools still use planes with an analog controller, while most of the cockpits in commercial planes are now digital,” he said.
“It means that a graduate from an Indonesian school will need further training to fly a commercial plane.”
National airline Garuda Indonesia is among those carriers seeking to stave off staffing shortages.
“Garuda Indonesia had recruited 10 flight instructors to expedite our training program and as an anticipation of delays in our training timetable due to the lack of instructors,” the airline said in its annual report.
Garuda employs 842 pilots and copilots as of 2012, and has a further 239 candidates in its training program.
The archipelago’s 16 scheduled airline operators employ around 8,000 pilots and copilots, while approximately 600 foreign pilots have been drafted in, according to data from the Transportation Ministry.
Efforts by airlines to recruit foreign pilots have been hampered by objections among local pilots to differences in pay.
04/04/2013 JG...
The Transportation Ministry is looking within its own ranks to source talent to overcome the shortage of pilots in the country’s fast-expanding aviation industry.
The effort to test whether the nation’s civil servants would be put to better use at 30,000 feet comes as the government grapples with the twin problems of a glut of bureaucrats — about 4.6 million — and an acute shortage of pilots and pilot instructors.
A large banner reading, “The Transportation Ministry offers civil servants in the ministry opportunities to be trained as pilots,” is on display in front of the ministry’s human resources department in Gambir, Central Jakarta.
Bambang S. Ervan, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the message was correct, saying that it was the first time the idea had been tried.
“[Those who enlist] will be trained at one of our flying schools and, on completion, will obtain the most basic pilot license,” Bambang said.
To obtain an entry-level license, called a private pilot license, trainees must complete 60 flying hours and more than 300 ground-training hours. After graduation, they can fly non-commercial aircraft.
The ministry has two flying schools, one in Curug, Banten, and a second in Banyuwangi, East Java, producing 150 pilot graduates a year between them, Bambang said.
The ministry’s program is scheduled to operate within 18 months.
Bambang said the program was made to fill the gap in Indonesia’s airline industry, which includes 16 scheduled commercial airline operators.
“The aim is to train flight instructors rather than to produce commercial pilots,” Bambang said.
The Transportation Ministry launched the program because it is not allowed to recruit more civil servants under the ongoing recruitment moratorium that has been imposed across most national government agencies as a cost-saving measure.
“There are not enough flight instructors in our schools right now, and we cannot recruit any more people. So the viable option is to train our staff,” Bambang said.
“It is possible for the graduates to become commercial pilots depending on their aptitude and the requirements from the respective airlines. But their first duty is to be instructors,” Bambang said.
Aviation analyst Dudi Sudibyo said the government’s program was commendable.
“Anyone can be a pilot, even civil servants, because it depends on whether they can pass all the related aptitude tests,” he added. “I think it is quite innovative for the government to take this approach in addressing [the issue of pilot shortages],” Dudi said.
The rapid expansion of Indonesia’s aviation sector has led to the pilot shortage. According to Dudi, Indonesia needs to produce at least 400 new pilots every year.
Bambang said the recruitment be strictly supervised. “Of course we will not recruit any random person. They will undergo the same rigorous training and procedures as any other pilot trainees,” he said.
Indonesia’s civil service is rife with ill-discipline, including reports of bureaucrats clocking off during working hours and failing drug tests. The country’s aviation industry, meanwhile, faces longstanding security concerns.
The crash of a Lion Air plane into the sea off Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport last month damaged already-weak public confidence in the sector. Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.
Bambang said security was the Transportation Ministry’s chief concern. “With or without this program, security is our number one priority,” he said.
Dudi said a similar approach was taken by professional pilots. “Every pilot wants to perform their job safely. Security is their first, second and third priority,” he said.
But he added that Indonesia’s flying schools lag behind their regional counterparts in regard to facilities and the quality of the curriculum.
“For example, our schools still use planes with an analog controller, while most of the cockpits in commercial planes are now digital,” he said.
“It means that a graduate from an Indonesian school will need further training to fly a commercial plane.”
National airline Garuda Indonesia is among those carriers seeking to stave off staffing shortages.
“Garuda Indonesia had recruited 10 flight instructors to expedite our training program and as an anticipation of delays in our training timetable due to the lack of instructors,” the airline said in its annual report.
Garuda employs 842 pilots and copilots as of 2012, and has a further 239 candidates in its training program.
The archipelago’s 16 scheduled airline operators employ around 8,000 pilots and copilots, while approximately 600 foreign pilots have been drafted in, according to data from the Transportation Ministry.
Efforts by airlines to recruit foreign pilots have been hampered by objections among local pilots to differences in pay.
04/04/2013 JG...
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Batik Air ready to use Manado as gateway to East Asia
Indonesia’s largest airline, the Lion Air Group, is preparing to use its eastern regional hub in Manado, North Sulawesi, as a springboard to reach destinations in East Asia.
“We are aiming to open a route to Canton [Guangzhou] this year using Batik Air,” Lion Air president director Rusdi Kirana told reporters on Friday evening after the launch of the Simas Lion Air Ticket debit card at the Lion Hotel and Plaza.
“After Canton, we will serve other destinations such as Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.”
He said he expected Batik’s service to Guangzhou to begin in the third or fourth quarter this year.
Batik will also fly from Jakarta to Ambon, Balikpapan and Pekanbaru.
Rusdi added that Manado would be linked with other cities, including Denpasar and Balikpapan, to allow smoother connections to and from East Asian destinations.
“These connections will allow investors and tourists from East Asia to visit eastern areas in Indonesia more easily,” Rusdi said.
Currently, he said, visitors had to transit in Jakarta if they wanted to visit Maluku or Papua.
“With our Manado hub, they will no longer have to backtrack via Jakarta,” Rusdi said.
Another advantage of Manado being the hub to East Asia, he added, was that the airline could avoid using and paying for air charts, as most of the routes were over the sea.
“The distance to those destinations from Manado is the same as it is from Jakarta via Singapore,” Rusdi said.
He added that Lion would also be opening schools in Manado to train pilots, flight attendants and mechanics, as well as constructing a hangar at Sam Ratulangi International Airport to strengthen the eastern hub.
Lion’s western hub is being set up at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands.
In addition to its aviation-related businesses, the 180 room, four-star, beach-front Lion Hotel and Plaza has also opened and is accepting guests, despite the fact that not all facilities have been completed.
“We will also be building a five-star hotel on 2 hectares of land worth US$30 million,” Rusdi said.
He further revealed that Lion planned to operate a cruise ship to carry passengers to dive sites, such as Bunaken, just 45 minutes from the planned hotel, and Raja Ampat in West Papua.
Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said Manado was a strategic place as it lay on a line connecting the Pacific Ocean in the north and Australia in the south.
“Manado is one of the key meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) centers in Indonesia and has tremendous potential for development,” he said in his address at the debit card’s launch.
“This will help improve connectivity both at home and at the regional level and, hopefully, also the global level.”
That is why, Hatta added, the government had agreed to extend the runway at Manado’s Sam Ratulangi airport from 2,600 meters to 3,000 meters to allow for larger aircraft.
Hatta, who was in Manado for a meeting to discuss the government’s Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Growth (MP3EI), added that Manado had the potential for tourism on a par with Bali.
Earlier in the day, Batik Air launched its first revenue flight, serving Jakarta-Manado three times a week on a Boeing 737-900 ER.
The full-service airline is Lion Air Group’s third airline after its no-frill Lion Air and regional Wings Air.
Batik Air president director Capt. Achmad Luthfie said 151 passengers took the maiden flight and he expected a load factor of around 90 percent for the route.
He said the airline had carried out promotions, such as placing ads on various media outlets as well as holding talk shows.
Luthfie added that Batik Air provided roomier 32-inch legroom compared to Lion Air’s 30-inch seat pitch as well as onboard meals and an in-flight entertainment system.
“We also plan to provide WiFi connections pending approval from regulators,” he said after arriving at the Manado airport.
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has also announced similar plans.
With only two full-service airlines currently flying, Luthfie said Batik Air would not steal passengers from Garuda as ample opportunities existed in the market.
“We are not taking passengers away from Garuda as we are relying more on Lion Air passengers who, with greater purchasing power, want better services,” he said.
Lion Air’s director of general affairs, Eduard Sirait, said Batik Air aimed to achieve 90 percent on-time performance (OTP). “But we will still be very pleased if we can get 85 to 87 percent OTP,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of opening routes to Australian destinations, Edward said several things needed to be settled first.
“We have to consider the air service agreements between both countries, and whether Batik Air can be named as a designated carrier for those routes,” he said
JP.. 06.05.2013
“We are aiming to open a route to Canton [Guangzhou] this year using Batik Air,” Lion Air president director Rusdi Kirana told reporters on Friday evening after the launch of the Simas Lion Air Ticket debit card at the Lion Hotel and Plaza.
“After Canton, we will serve other destinations such as Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo.”
He said he expected Batik’s service to Guangzhou to begin in the third or fourth quarter this year.
Batik will also fly from Jakarta to Ambon, Balikpapan and Pekanbaru.
Rusdi added that Manado would be linked with other cities, including Denpasar and Balikpapan, to allow smoother connections to and from East Asian destinations.
“These connections will allow investors and tourists from East Asia to visit eastern areas in Indonesia more easily,” Rusdi said.
Currently, he said, visitors had to transit in Jakarta if they wanted to visit Maluku or Papua.
“With our Manado hub, they will no longer have to backtrack via Jakarta,” Rusdi said.
Another advantage of Manado being the hub to East Asia, he added, was that the airline could avoid using and paying for air charts, as most of the routes were over the sea.
“The distance to those destinations from Manado is the same as it is from Jakarta via Singapore,” Rusdi said.
He added that Lion would also be opening schools in Manado to train pilots, flight attendants and mechanics, as well as constructing a hangar at Sam Ratulangi International Airport to strengthen the eastern hub.
Lion’s western hub is being set up at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands.
In addition to its aviation-related businesses, the 180 room, four-star, beach-front Lion Hotel and Plaza has also opened and is accepting guests, despite the fact that not all facilities have been completed.
“We will also be building a five-star hotel on 2 hectares of land worth US$30 million,” Rusdi said.
He further revealed that Lion planned to operate a cruise ship to carry passengers to dive sites, such as Bunaken, just 45 minutes from the planned hotel, and Raja Ampat in West Papua.
Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa said Manado was a strategic place as it lay on a line connecting the Pacific Ocean in the north and Australia in the south.
“Manado is one of the key meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) centers in Indonesia and has tremendous potential for development,” he said in his address at the debit card’s launch.
“This will help improve connectivity both at home and at the regional level and, hopefully, also the global level.”
That is why, Hatta added, the government had agreed to extend the runway at Manado’s Sam Ratulangi airport from 2,600 meters to 3,000 meters to allow for larger aircraft.
Hatta, who was in Manado for a meeting to discuss the government’s Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Growth (MP3EI), added that Manado had the potential for tourism on a par with Bali.
Earlier in the day, Batik Air launched its first revenue flight, serving Jakarta-Manado three times a week on a Boeing 737-900 ER.
The full-service airline is Lion Air Group’s third airline after its no-frill Lion Air and regional Wings Air.
Batik Air president director Capt. Achmad Luthfie said 151 passengers took the maiden flight and he expected a load factor of around 90 percent for the route.
He said the airline had carried out promotions, such as placing ads on various media outlets as well as holding talk shows.
Luthfie added that Batik Air provided roomier 32-inch legroom compared to Lion Air’s 30-inch seat pitch as well as onboard meals and an in-flight entertainment system.
“We also plan to provide WiFi connections pending approval from regulators,” he said after arriving at the Manado airport.
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has also announced similar plans.
With only two full-service airlines currently flying, Luthfie said Batik Air would not steal passengers from Garuda as ample opportunities existed in the market.
“We are not taking passengers away from Garuda as we are relying more on Lion Air passengers who, with greater purchasing power, want better services,” he said.
Lion Air’s director of general affairs, Eduard Sirait, said Batik Air aimed to achieve 90 percent on-time performance (OTP). “But we will still be very pleased if we can get 85 to 87 percent OTP,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of opening routes to Australian destinations, Edward said several things needed to be settled first.
“We have to consider the air service agreements between both countries, and whether Batik Air can be named as a designated carrier for those routes,” he said
JP.. 06.05.2013
