aviation

Lion Air Operates Hajj Flights, Enhancing Domestic Airline Business

The government's decision to appoint Lion Air Group for the 2025 hajj flights has garnered praise from aviation observers. 

According to Alvin Lie, this move is a strategic effort to leverage the potential of domestic airlines and optimize Indonesia's flight capacity, especially in light of the significant demand for hajj transportation. 

Alvin noted that Garuda Indonesia has frequently encountered challenges in securing aircraft for hajj flights, often resorting to leasing planes from lessors to meet these needs. This situation is particularly ironic, given that Lion Air Group, which possesses a substantial fleet, has already been providing hajj transportation services in other countries. 

"The government's decision to open hajj services to airlines other than Garuda presents an opportunity to enhance domestic capabilities. As we have observed, Garuda has had to lease aircraft from lessors to facilitate hajj flights, while Lion Air Group already has an adequate fleet to serve hajj flights for other nations," Alvin stated to KONTAN on Sunday (January 5). 

Alvin further emphasized that despite the apparent competition among airlines, this decision is primarily aimed at enabling the government to utilize domestic potential first. He believes that if domestic airlines can meet the demand, there would be no need to rely on leasing aircraft from abroad. 

"The competence of Lion Air Group in this regard is unquestionable. They have several years of experience in providing hajj transportation in other countries. The only consideration is pricing, which has been set by the government. Therefore, there is no competition among airlines; rather, the government is striving to capitalize on the existing domestic potential," Alvin added. 

Tag: Alvin Lie Lion Air Lion Air Group