Lion Air Group ‘still committed’ to 737 Max: Chairman

Lion Air Group chairman Rusdi Kirana has reiterated the airline group’s commitment to the Boeing 737 Max, with its Batik Air Malaysia unit set to take its first 737-9 aircraft early 2023. Kirana was speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on 11 July, announcing the rebranding of airline unit Malindo Air to Batik Air Malaysia, as well as the official re-entry of Boeing’s 737 Max aircraft into its fleet. Indonesia-based Lion Air Group, which also includes Lion Air, Super Air Jet and Batik Air of Indonesia, as well as Thai Lion Air, has more than 200 737 Max aircraft – a mix of Max 8s and Max 9s – on order. Kirana, who was responding to a question from FlightGlobal, says the airline group is looking to continue operations of the type, some of which have already returned to service in Indonesia. “[Boeing] did a lot of work to make sure that the [737 Max] is safe for travel…We have [more than] 200 aircraft on order with Boeing, and we will still [take delivery of them] because…we will need more aircraft as demand comes back…to reduce ticket prices,” Kirana says. His comments come as Batik Air Malaysia looks set to have 17 Max 8s in its fleet by year-end. The airline has four in operation now, operating them to destinations farther afield including to Pakistan and Australia. It confirms that the new aircraft will be a mix of fresh deliveries from Boeing, as well as existing 737 Max aircraft from within the Lion Air Group.<br/>