Lion Air Group, Indonesia`s largest airline operator, plans to expand its domestic and international fleet by 36 new airplanes this year.

For Wings Air, Lion`s short-haul domestic flights operator, the company has ordered 20 ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft from French-Italian manufacturer ATR.

"All of the 36 aircraft are ready for delivery, but we need to see the economic situation first before we bring them in," Lion Air Group president director Edward Sirait said on Tuesday.

The remaining 16 airplanes include Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900, Boeing 737 Max 9 and Airbus A320neo.

Edward said that some of the jets will be for the group`s overseas subsidiaries Thai Lion Air in Thailand and Malindo Air in Malaysia.

Currently, Lion Air Group has 300 aircraft, 116 of which are operated by domestic budget airline Lion Air, and 54 by the group`s full-service airline Batik Air.

Lion Air Group is one of the largest customers for Airbus, Boeing and ATR.

By Jakarta Globe(Published: 06/02/2018)

http://jakartaglobe.id/business/lion-air-group-adds-36-aircraft-fleet/

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