Citilink recently moved to Batam in Sumatra and Balikpapan in Borneo, strengthening its presence in new domestic markets. The airline is already announcing to fly internationally this year.
JAKARTA- With the increase in its fleet and new routes, the national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia’s low-cost branch, Citilink, expects to carry more passengers in 2013. Last year the airline ordered 50 twin turboprop French-Italian ATR 72-600 aircraft to expand its domestic and international flight services.
Citilink CEO Arif Wibowo said the airline would accept delivery of the aircraft until 2017, with the first five to be delivered in September. “The five aircraft that we are going to operate this year will be based at our hub in Batam [Riau Islands], connecting that city to cities in Sumatra,” Arif told The Jakarta Post.
He said that the airline would provide service from Batam to international destinations such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Last week, the airline opened a new route connecting Batam in the Riau Islands and Palembang in South Sumatra.
Arif also said that the airline would likely rely on foreign pilots for the first two years until enough local candidates completed initial flying school training and were type-rated for the ATR 72-600. The manufacturer of the ATR has agreed to provide pilots and maintenance technicians.
Contacted separately, Citilink vice president for communication and marketing Aristo Kristandyo said that putting the turboprop planes into operation would give the airline a competitive boost.
“Indonesia has a huge aviation market that is large enough for every operator to enjoy. By operating both Airbuses and ATRs, we will be able to tap into the whole market segment, strengthening our position in the country’s aviation industry,” Aristo told the Post.
The airline will also announce this month that it would open hubs for the ATR 72-600s in several other cities.
Aristo said that Citilink was scheduled to take a delivery of 10 new Airbus A320s this year, which will increase its Airbus aircraft numbers to 30 by the end of 2013.
With the new aircraft, the airline plans to expand service to more cities and to increase frequency on existing routes, such as Jakarta-Surabaya, Jakarta–Medan, Jakarta–Denpasar and Jakarta–Makassar.
Indonesia low cost carrier Citilink Indonesia is developing its domestic network by opening new routes from its new hub in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, in a bid to capture growing traveler demand. Citilink CEO Arif Wibowo said the airlines had recently connected the city with Surakarta, Central Java and Yogyakarta.
“The new service will make trips easier for Citilink customers in Kalimantan to reach the two cities,” Arif said. The airline provides one flight a day for each route by using an Airbus A320 aircraft.
Citilink CEO Arif Wibowo explained that strengthening networks in Balikpapan were important because it was a destination for businessmen, professionals and employees working in the mining and plantation sector. Meanwhile, both Surakarta and Yogyakarta are the country’s centers of tourism and education.
He said that Citilink estimated that it would carry 7.2 million passengers with its Airbus fleet alone in 2013, almost double the 4 million passengers the airline transported in 2012.
(Source: the Jakarta Post)
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
