Batavia to add new Airbuses<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Low-fare carrier Batavia Air said on Thursday it would lease
\nthree new Airbus A319 next year to strengthen its fleet.<\/p>\n
"One will be delivered in January to serve flights to Guang
\nZhou (China) and another will come in February to serve flights
\nfrom Surabaya to Kuala Lumpur," PT Metro Batavia vice president
\nfor marketing Sjamsi Yunus said.<\/p>\n
He said the remaining aircraft would arrive in November and
\nthe company had not yet decided on which route it would operate.<\/p>\n
"The new planes will allow us to keep up with other airlines,
\nespecially in serving regional routes," the company's managing
\ndirector, Alice Tansari, said.<\/p>\n
She said that with the three new Airbuses, the company would
\nbe able to save up to 10 percent on its fuel costs and 43 percent
\non maintenance.<\/p>\n
"Although the lease price is twice as high than for our older
\nplanes, with the efficiency (of the new aircraft) our operational
\ncosts will be lower," Alice said, without providing details on
\nthe lease prices.<\/p>\n
The monthly lease for a newer generation Boeing 737-200 ranges
\nfrom US$200,000 to $250,000. However, most airlines in the
\ncountry opt for older generation planes with a monthly lease of
\n$80,000, though the fuel and maintenance costs are higher.<\/p>\n
Airbus regional representative Anthony Phillips said earlier a
\nnew Airbus A320 leased for $300,000 a month, while a used A320
\nwas $200,000.<\/p>\n
Batavia Air started in 2002 with four planes and currently
\noperates 24 domestic routes with 21 aircraft, 16 of which are
\nolder generation Boeing 737-200s.<\/p>\n
In addition to the new Airbuses, the company will add another
\nfive Boeing 737-300 to its fleet next year as it expands its
\ndomestic routes.<\/p>\n
"We have already obtained licenses for 66 domestic routes, but
\nwe are only using 60 percent of the licenses," Sjamsi said.<\/p>\n
The company said it would begin flying to Palu, Ujung Pandang,
\nBalikpapan and Batam next year.<\/p>\n
"We will gradually rejuvenate our fleet. Next year we will
\nstart by grounding two of the older Boeings," Sjamsi explained.<\/p>\n
As of November, the airline has carried three million
\npassengers in 2005 and is targeting five million passengers in
\n2006.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Transportation estimates there will be a total
\nof 29 million domestic air passengers this year.<\/p>\n
National flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia and low-fare airline
\nLion Air are the largest airlines in the country, with a 40
\npercent share and 30 percent share of domestic flights,
\nrespectively.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/batavia-to-add-new-airbuses-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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