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THE AIRLINE of Lion Air Group plans to open new routes to Turkey and a number of South Asian countries by the end of this year.
According to Lion Air Group Owner Rusdi Kirana said the Jakarta-Istanbul route has great potential to be opened by looking at the level of demand of the people who make Umrah to Mecca. Usually, after Umrah they will stop by to Istanbul.
“Good potential, the route to Istanbul is expected to be opened in the fourth quarter/2020. In addition to the cities located on the two continents, his party is also preparing plans for expansion into South Asia, including to India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the licensing of the route is currently being processed by the country concerned,” he said.
But previously Lion Air President Director Edward Sirait said the countries in the South Asian region were the most attractive option. The airline bearing the lion’s head has consideration of the population and economic movements of the three countries.
“We cannot confirm the total number of countries in this year’s plan, because we cannot predict the direction of the aviation business at this time. However, the three countries that we mentioned are the most likely,” Edward noted.
Edward explained that the expansion in the region had been planned well before the outbreak of the Corona virus (Covid-19). As a result, the government’s reference for the airline to open its route to South Asia is in line with the strategic plan drawn up by the airline. [business.com/photo special]
