Lion Air says November passenger numbers fell less than 5% after crash

Lion Air said Monday passenger numbers dropped by less than 5% in November compared to a year earlier, after one of its Boeing 737 MAX jets crashed in late October killing all 189 people on board. "There was a decline but it wasn't too significant," the airline's CEO Edward Sirait said. "It was under 5% compared to the traffic at the same month last year." He said Lion Air did not "clearly understand" whether the crash was responsible for the fall in traffic in November, which he said was a low season for travel. The airline, Indonesia's largest, is privately owned and does not publicly release traffic statistics or financial results. Sirait said last week Lion Air was considering cancelling orders for 737 MAX jets but it had not yet made a decision. Sources told Reuters that relations between the airline and Boeing had worsened in a spat over responsibility for the crash. The airline has 190 Boeing jets worth $22b at list prices waiting to be delivered, on top of 197 already taken, making it one of the largest US export customers. Bankers and some analysts say Lion Air and Southeast Asian rivals over-expanded and would be comfortable with fewer orders.<br/>