Singapore Airshow 2012: Garuda Indonesia, Citilink and Lion accelerate fleet expansion

Indonesia's two largest airline groups, Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air, are further accelerating the expansion of their fleets as they look to capitalise on their leading positions in one of the world's biggest emerging markets.

The two groups - which include Garuda budget carrier Citilink, Lion Air regional subsidiary Wings Air and soon Lion Air's new full service unit Space Jet - are now committed to at least triple the size of their combined fleets from the current figure of about 180 aircraft.

Other Indonesian carriers, including Indonesia AirAsia, Batavia, Mandala and Sriwijaya, are also expected to rapidly grow their fleets as the total number of commercial aircraft operating in Indonesia could approach 1000 aircraft towards the end of the next decade.