Malindo Air gets permission to launch
Lion Air’s new Malaysian low-cost carrier, Malindo Air, has received its Air Operators Certificate (AOC), giving it the green light to commence commercial operations.
The move means that Malindo Air, which is a joint venture between Jakarta-based Lion and the Malaysia’s National Aerospace & Defence Industries (NADI), now expects to launch its first flights in mid-March 2013, using a fleet of 12 Boeing 737s based at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
Initially it will operate flights connecting KLIA to domestic destinations such as Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, with international services to follow from May. The airline then expects to add an average of 14 aircraft per year, taking its total fleet size to more than 100 aircraft within a decade, including several B787 Dreamliners. Future routes will include destinations in Australia, China and Japan.
In an earlier statement, Lion Air’s President, Rusdi Kirana, said Malindo’s fares would be “in the same range as rival AirAsia, or even smaller”. Unlike its low-cost rival however, Malindo’s aircraft will come fitted with in-flight entertainment and light meals.
In a statement yesterday, Malindo Air said it was pleased to have reached the “regulatory milestone” of receiving its AOC.