Indonesia AirAsia eyes full fleet deployment, extra aircraft

Indonesia AirAsia plans to have all its aircraft back in the air in 2023 and add additional planes to the fleet. CEO Veranita Yosephine Sinaga and corporate secretary Leon Ruben outlined the 2023 strategy at a December 21, 2022, shareholder’s briefing. The airline presently has 16 of its 23 aircraft operational. Sinaga said capacity had increased “tremendously” throughout 2022. Asked about the seven planes still parked, she said “efforts are being made to resume operations soon… we are quite confident that we can recover overall in the next few months.” The airline exclusively operates A320-200s and, according to ch-aviation schedules data, currently has a 3.44% market share in Indonesia (measured by seat capacity). However, discounting domestic routes where the airline had historically lagged behind its local competitors, Indonesia AirAsia is offering the most seats of any airline on routes in and out of Indonesia, with a 12.9% market share. Sinaga acknowledged the advantages this international market segment dominance gives the low-cost carrier and told shareholders more engagement with tourist authorities and marketing boards in Indonesia could help drive more domestic traffic.<br/>