Rusdi Kirana, Chairman of the Lion Group, declared: “These modern and fuel-efficient aircraft will meet the future growth of the Lion Group airlines. The ATR 72-600 aircraft enable us to achieve a brilliant economic performance”. He added: “The ATR-600 aircraft are very competitive, as they enable us to ensure a high frequency service. With these new generation airplanes in our fleet, the Lion Group will continue to contribute to the economic development in Indonesia, Malaysia and Asia, including remote regions as well as tourist driven markets such as Bali, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sumatra”.
“Lion Air has become our largest customer among airlines, and has been successfully operating ATR 72s for five years. We are honored to receive this outstanding new order, which is an historical ATR milestone, and we thank the Lion Group for their continued strong commitment to our profitable and eco-efficient aircraft. The ATR-600 series feature the highest level of operational performance, while offering its passengers the highest standards of comfort and service. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with the Lion Group”.” declared ATR’s Chief Executive Officer, Patrick de Castelbajac. He added: “We also thank the strong financing support provided by SACE, Italy’s Credit Export Agency, which has considerably contributed to develop and consolidate such a fruitful partnership”.
The Asia Pacific region accounts for nearly 40 percent of the sales of the ATR -600 series aircraft. Today, more than 300 ATR aircraft are operated by Asia-Pacific carriers, while there are some other 100 on order.