News
Malindo Air named B737 MAX launch carrier
March 24th 2017
In May, Malaysia’s Malindo Air, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s Lion Air Group, will become the global launch airline for the B737 MAX series, the airline’s CEO, Chandran Rama Muthy, said at this week’s Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA) Exhibition. Read More »
“Malindo Air is very honoured and proud to be the world’s first carrier to fly passengers on this state-of-the-art innovation,” Chandran said in Langkawi. "This new aircraft, which allows us to go to destinations at a distance of 7 hours 30 mins, will certainly help attract tourists to our country.”
He expected the first B737 MAX delivery in May, with three more MAXs to arrive at the carrier by year end. Lion Air also will receive four MAXs this year.
Boeing’s order book lists 201 orders for the B737 MAX series from the Lion Air Group. The aircraft is 15% more fuel efficient than its predecessor, the B737NG. “The same features and systems make it easier for us to maintain and operate the new aircraft. Our [B737NG] pilots only need one session of simulator training to fly the B737 MAX,” Chandran said.
Malindo initially intends to operate the MAX between its Kuala Lumpur base and Singapore and then add Bangkok’s Don Mueang and Guangzhou to the MAX’s network.
Speaking alongside Chandran in Langkawi, Dinesh Keskar, Boeing’s senior vice president sales Asia-Pacific and India, said the U.S. manufacturer forecast annual growth of 6% for the Asia-Pacific, which added up to 3,860 deliveries across the region in the next two decades.
“There will be even more demand if someone can come up with better on-time performance, good service and same or lower prices,” Keskar said. ”That is the winning formula for Southeast Asia.”
Malindo’s fleet is 18 B737-800s, six B737-900ERs and 16 ATR72-600s.It launched its longest route in February, twice a week with B737-900ERs from Kuala Lumpur via Ahmedabad to Jeddah.
