OREANDA-NEWS. November 10, 2015. Indonesia’s Lion Air, part of the Lion Group, has taken delivery of its first widebody A330-300. The aircraft, powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, is the first of three A330s ordered by Lion Group and seats 440 passengers in a single class layout. The airline will use its A330 fleet on long range pilgrimage flights to Saudi Arabia, as well as on selected high density domestic routes.

“We chose the A330 for its ability to operate on a wide range of services with maximum efficiency,” said Rusdi Kirana, Co-Founder of Lion Group. “Replacing the 747, the A330 will significantly reduce operating costs on our Umrah flights. We will also use the aircraft to introduce widebody service on high capacity domestic routes, enabling more people to travel by air within Indonesia than ever before.”

“We are pleased to see Lion Air become a new operator of the best-selling A330,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers. ““From shorter regional routes to long range services, the A330 does it all – and at lower cost. Lion Air will benefit strongly from the A330’s reduced operating costs, extended range capability and proven reliability, making it the perfect platform for high density low cost services.” 

Lion Air first took to the skies in 2000. Today the Group operates an extensive network covering over 100 destinations in Indonesia and South East Asia, as well as long range services to Saudi Arabia. Today, 11 A320ceo are operated by Lion Group’s full service unit Batik Air; while the Group has 225 Airbus aircraft yet to be delivered, comprising 223 A320 Family aircraft and two more A330s.

The A330 is one of the most popular wide-body aircraft with over 1,500 orders, and over 1,200 delivered to some 110 operators worldwide. Offering the lowest operating costs in its category, and thanks to continuous investment and innovations, the A330 is the most profitable and best performing aircraft in its class.