Indonesian carrier Lion Air is looking to start flights to Australia from next year, according to a report from an Indonesian newspaper.
The Jakarta Post quotes Lion Air spokesman Edward Siriat as saying that the carrier was awaiting government approval to launch services, although he said that the airline was “waiting for a destination that is available and feasible for us.” Siriat also mentioned that the airline would be able to fly to Perth with its existing fleet of Boeing 737-900ERs but that it may have to use a different aircraft if it were to fly to Melbourne or Sydney.
Lion Air has long expressed an interest in flying to Australia. In 2008, it announced that it would launch an Australian based joint venture carrier in conjunction with SkyAirWorld to serve both international and domestic routes, although this never occurred as SkyAirWorld fell into receivership in 2009.
