Sriwijaya Air to order 20 B737-800 NGs

Antara News, Friday, October 8, 2010 22:04 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Sriwijaya Air on Friday confirmed it is planning to order 20 B737-800NG aircraft for expansion and modernization of its fleet.

"We have not canceled the plan. We already told the public about it, so how could we cancel it," the company`s commercial director, Toto Nursatyo, said.

He said the 20 aircraft would all be newly-produced and a memorandum of understanding on their purchase from Boeing would be signed in Seattle, USA, by Sriwijaya president director Hendry Lie and two company commissioners, namely Fandy Lingga and Capt Sunaryo Yosopratomo, and financial vice director Jefferson Jauwena.

"Delivery is expected to be done in 2012-2013 at the earliest. Each plane will cost around US%70-75 million," he said.

Toto said with the new type of aircraft it was hoped optimalization of operations and efficiency could be done.

"This will also meet the offer of the transportation ministry`s Directorate of Air Transportation to participate in providing 4,000 seats to Australia which will be released to the flight service market in 2011," he said.

Sriwijaya spokesperson Ruth Hanna Simatupang also confirmed the plan. "The delegation is scheduled to leave for Seattle on October 10 or on Sunday," she said.

Sriwijaya Air has so far been known as operator of B737-200 aircraft which is noisy and fuel guzzling, reaching 13 units.It also operates eight units of B737-300 and six units of B737-400.

The company serves 171 flights a day to 35 destinations including two regional destinations namely Malaysia and Singapore.

Toto once said the regulation in the country still allows the operation of those aircraft.

"The expiration of aircraft in Indonesia is 30 years or 70,000 cycles," he said.

He said the 13 units of aircraft operated by his company were not as yet affected by the regulation.

However, he said, the company plans to take B737-200 out of its fleet as of next year in stages. "In the world around 1,200 units of aircraft of the type are still operating," he said.