Batik Air (ID, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) took delivery of its first widebody aircraft, an A330-300(E), on October 29, 2019, Indonesian media outlets reported.
PK-LDY (msn 1828) was previously operated by Thai Lion Air (SL, Bangkok Don Mueang) as HS-LAI. It was retired by the Thai LCC on October 21 and subsequently flew a number of test flights between Bangkok Don Mueang and Denpasar, Flightradar24 ADS-B data shows. Following its delivery to Batik Air at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta airport, the airline operated a test flight to Medan Kuala Namu.
According to the Indonesian-language daily Bisnis, the 2-year-old Airbus aircraft owned by China Minsheng Investment Group is equipped with 18 business class seats and 374 economy class seats. Chief Executive Achmad Luthfie said that the carrier will use its maiden widebody to launch flights from Medan, Jakarta, Makassar, and Solo City to Madinah and Jeddah International, as well as to expand its network in Asia and Australia.
The Lion Air Group member is a full-service carrier which also operates fifty-eight narrowbody jets, including forty-four A320-200s, eight B737-800s, and six B737-900(ER)s. Batik Air flies predominantly domestically with almost 94% of its total capacity deployed within Indonesia, although it also serves Singapore Changi, Kuala Lumpur International, Chennai, Penang, Perth International, and Kunming Changshui, the ch-aviation schedules module shows.
The airline is also planning to add an A330-900 shortly. While Batik Air previously said that it will happen in early 2020, schedule data indicates that the airline plans to debut the A330s on December 10, 2019, flying it from Medan to Madinah.
The carrier's parent Lion Air (JT, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) already operates three A330-300s and two -900s, while Thai Lion Air operates two and one units of the respective types. The remaining group carriers Malindo Air (Kuala Lumpur International) and Wings Air (Indonesia) (IW, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) do not operate widebody aircraft.
