Indonesia's Sriwijaya Air Group has signed a purchase agreement with ATR - Avions de Transport Régional (EVX, Toulouse Blagnac) for twelve new-build ATR72-600s to be delivered to its NAM Air (IN, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) unit from 2017.
Group President Chandra Lie told Investor Daily News the deal was signed in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
Once delivered, NAM Air will deploy the aircraft to operate new routes in Kawasan Timur Indonesia in the archipelago's east. NAM Air currently cooperates with TransNusa (8B, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) on flights in the region.
"This plan has actually been around since 2013," he said. "At that time, we considered ATR or Bombardier Aerospace. However, the plan did not materialise because it was a heavy year for the aviation industry. Finally, we think it's time to bring those aircraft [in]."
The first two aircraft are expected between January and February of next year with the next four to follow by year-end. Thereafter, the delivery of the remaining turboprops will depend on crew availability.
NAM Air currently operates seven B737-500s together with one ATR72-600 and one Fokker 70 (both leased from TransNusa).
