Lion Air Adds 15 New ATR 72-500s to Wings Air’s Fleet

Indonesia’s Wings Air, and parent company Lion Air, have signed an operational contract for the purchase of 15 additional ATR 72-500s. These aircraft will bring to 30 the total fleet of ATRs operated by Wings Air.

ATR and Lion Air had previously inked a contract in 2009 for the purchase of 15 ATR 72-500s and options for 15 additional aircraft. This new deal represents the conversion of all 15 options, resulting from a strong growth of Wings Air’s and Lion Air’s markets.

Wings Air introduced the new ATR 72-500s in Indonesia in January 2010 and 10 of the aircraft are already in operation. With the delivery of the 15 additional aircraft, Wings Air and Lion Air will become ATR’s largest customer in South-East Asia.

With its fleet of ATRs, Wings Air is developing a strong regional network across Indonesia, increasing passenger traffic and frequencies, while improving connectivity to small and remote communities. Wings Air’s ATR fleet is also enabling the airline to feed Lion Air’s Boeing 737-900ER vast routes network.

With the introduction of the new ATRs in the coming months, Wings Air will further develop new routes from and to Sumatra, Sulawesi and Java, as well as connecting big cities with flying range within one hour, like Surabaya and Denpasar.

Pak Rusdi Kirana, Chairman of Wings Air and President Director of Lion Air, said, “Our increasing fleet of modern ATR aircraft is making a strong contribution to the growth of our national economy. We are proud to expand and develop transportation capabilities across Indonesia with aircraft featuring the most modern technologies and comfort standards. ATR aircraft are becoming very popular in Indonesia as they play a key role in the development of business and tourism, as well as interconnecting the Indonesia archipelago.”

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