Lion Air Group begins international expansion from Indonesia with Batik Air Australia & India routes

The Lion Group is preparing to expand in Indonesia's international market, with several new routes to Australia, India and East Asia. Lion is the domestic leader in Indonesia, its three Indonesian airline subsidiaries accounting for approximately half of total domestic capacity. However, the group has only a tiny presence in the Indonesian international market, having only five scheduled international destinations.

The full service subsidiary Batik Air has encountered delays in commencing operations to Australia and India but remains keen on serving both markets with multiple destinations. Meanwhile, its Malaysian affiliate Malindo Air is jump starting the group's entrance in the Indonesia-Australia market with a new fifth freedom route from Bali to Brisbane, which will be launched on 31-Mar-2017.

International expansion is becoming strategically necessary for Lion as Indonesia's international market is now growing faster than the much larger domestic market. AirAsia and Garuda have already been focusing more on international expansion, widening their lead over Lion in Indonesia's international market.