Sriwijaya Air: News and Incidents

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Indonesia's Sriwijaya Expects Boom in Passengers

May 24, 2012

 

Sriwijaya Air, a local low-cost carrier, expects a 15 percent increase in passenger numbers this year with five of the 12 Boeing Next Generation 737-800s it ordered scheduled to be put into service.

 

Sriwijaya Air’s president director, Chandra Lee, said the 12 Boeing Next Generation 737-800 would cost $900 million and would be financed by lessor GE Commercial Aviation Safety.

 

The airline is modernizing its fleet by replacing 12 of its Boeing 737-200 and 737-300 aircraft with the new-generation Boeings. The Boeing Next Generation 737-800, according to Chandra, will help the company “save on jet fuel and be more comfortable for passengers.”

 

Chandra said the airline aimed to open more routes, especially to the eastern part of Indonesia. The country has a population of about 245 million but only about 61 million air travelers each year. He said the number of people flying would grow on average by 15 percent to 20 percent per year for domestic routes.

 

Sriwijaya Air is currently categorized as a “medium-service airline,” which means it only offers light snacks during its flights. The designation refers to the variety of services offered on board, such as meals, baggage allowance and in-flight entertainment.

 

It plans to start full-service flights next year. According to government regulations, an airline must have a minimum of 31 aircraft offering business-class services and full meals to offer full-service flights.

 

Sriwijaya Air has 37 aircraft serving 35 domestic destinations and two overseas destinations — Penang in Malaysia and Singapore.

 

The number of international passengers traveling to Indonesia between January and March saw strong growth of 13 percent to two million, according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Meanwhile, domestic passengers rose 15.4 percent to 12.5 million.

 

Investor Daily

 

Source: http://www.thejakart...ssengers/519745

 

Meanwhile, one of Sriwijaya Air's B737-400 was written off due to runway excursion on 1st June 2012:

 

Indonesian Airliner Carrying 163 Skids off Runway, None Hurt

June 01, 2012

 

Pontianak. A plane carrying 163 passengers and crew on a domestic flight skidded off the runway in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province on Friday but no one was hurt, the Transportation Ministry said.

 

The Boeing 737-400 aircraft of regional Indonesian carrier Sriwijaya Air landed at the provincial capital of Pontianak in the early afternoon before leaving the runway, Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said.

 

“After it touched down and was rolling it was tilting to the right and skidded off the runway,” he said.

 

“All passengers and crew are safe,” Ervan added. “The nosewheel is broken and the landing gear also went off into the soft soil, so the engine also is touching the ground,” he added.

 

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, but local reports said it was raining and windy when the plane came in to land on a domestic flight from Jakarta. Indonesia, which relies heavily on air links to connect its sprawling archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, has one of Asia’s worst air safety records.

 

Agence France-Presse