Lion Air facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
PT Lion Mentari Airlines

Founded	15 November 1999; 25 years ago (1999-11-15)
Commenced operations	30 June 2000; 25 years ago (2000-06-30)
Operating bases	Batam Denpasar Jakarta–Soekarno-Hatta Makassar Manado Medan Palembang Surabaya Yogyakarta–International
Fleet size	118
Destinations	47
Parent company	Lion Air Group
Headquarters	Lion Air Tower, Jalan KH. Hasyim Ashari, Jakarta, Indonesia
Key people	Rusdi Kirana (Chairman) Kusnan Kirana (President Commissioner) Rudy Lumingkewas (President Director)

Lion Air is a big Indonesian airline based in Jakarta. It is known as a low-cost airline, which means it tries to offer flights at lower prices. Lion Air is the largest airline in Indonesia that is run by a private company. It is also the second largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia, right after AirAsia.

Lion Air is part of the Lion Group, which is the biggest airline group in Indonesia. This group also includes other airlines like Wings Air, Super Air Jet, and Batik Air. Lion Air flies to many places both inside Indonesia and to other countries. These countries include Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, India, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. They also have special flights to places like mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, and Macau. Lion Air operates more than 630 flights every day.

The airline has made some of the biggest airplane orders ever. For example, they ordered 234 Airbus A320 jets, which cost about $24 billion. In 2011, they ordered 230 Boeing 737 planes for $21.7 billion. This was the largest order Boeing had ever received at that time. The signing of this agreement was even seen by the President of the United States, Barack Obama.

In June 2017, Lion Air signed another deal with Boeing for fifty 737 MAX 10 planes. These planes were worth $6.24 billion. Lion Air is Boeing's second-biggest customer, after Southwest Airlines in the US. In the past, Lion Air faced some challenges with how it managed its flights and safety. However, they have worked hard to improve. For example, in June 2016, the European Union removed a ban that had stopped Lion Air from flying into European airspace. By June 2018, Lion Air received a good safety rating after a check by the ICAO.

History of Lion Air

A Yakovlev Yak-42D, one of Lion Air's early planes, landing in Singapore.

A Lion Air McDonnell Douglas MD-82 plane at Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport.

Lion Air was started in October 1999 by two brothers, Rusdi and Kusnan Kirana. The airline began flying passengers on June 30, 2000. Its first flights were from Jakarta to Denpasar and Pontianak, using a rented Boeing 737-200 plane. Lion Air was the first low-cost airline in Indonesia.

The airline quickly grew its fleet of planes. They rented five Yakovlev Yak-42Ds, two McDonnell Douglas MD-82s, and two Airbus A310-300s. Because of its fast growth, Lion Air was able to get newer planes like the Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 737-400.

In 2003, Lion Air started a smaller airline called Wings Air. Wings Air flies to places that are not as busy. Later, Lion Air also created other airlines. These include Malindo Air in Malaysia (2012), Thai Lion Air in Thailand (2013), and Batik Air (2013) in Indonesia. Batik Air offers a full-service experience, unlike a low-cost airline.

Lion Air has been working to join the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This group helps airlines work together safely. If they join, Lion Air would be the second Indonesian airline to be an IATA member, after Garuda Indonesia. Lion Air and Boeing also worked together to use new navigation methods called RNP in Indonesia. They successfully tested these methods at airports in Ambon and Manado, which are challenging because of the surrounding land.

In July 2011, Lion Air had to ground 13 of its planes. This happened because the airline was not on time with its flights very often. The transportation ministry found that Lion Air's on-time performance was 66.45 percent, which was the lowest among six airlines. However, airlines flying from Jakarta airport often faced delays because the runways were very busy.

On November 18, 2011, Lion Air and Boeing announced a huge order. Lion Air planned to buy 201 Boeing 737 MAX and 29 Boeing 737-900ER planes. This was a record-setting order of 230 aircraft for a commercial airline, worth $21.7 billion.

A Lion Air Boeing 747-400 at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport.

In March 2013, Lion Air signed another big contract. They agreed to buy 234 Airbus planes for US$24 billion. This deal was signed in France and witnessed by the French President, François Hollande. The planes ordered were types of A320 and A321.

Lion Air also started a full-service airline called Batik Air in 2013. Batik Air began flying with 737-900ER planes. Lion Air also planned to order five Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes for Batik Air. This would have made Lion Air the first Indonesian airline to order this type of plane since Garuda Indonesia canceled its order in 2010.

In June 2016, the Lion Group was removed from the list of airlines that were not allowed to fly into the European Union.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, Lion Group stopped its flights for a while. They stopped again in June 2020 because many passengers could not show the necessary health documents for travel. In July 2020, Lion Group announced that they would have to let go of 2,600 contract workers. This was because fewer people were flying due to the pandemic.

Where Lion Air Flies

As of 2025, Lion Air flies to many places. Here are some of the cities and airports they serve:

Airline Partnerships

Lion Air works with other airlines through special agreements. These are called codeshare agreements and interline agreements. They help passengers connect to more places.

Codeshare Partners

• Jeju Air

Interline Partners

• Batik Air
• Batik Air Malaysia
• Hahn Air
• Thai Lion Air
• Wings Air

Lion Air's Fleet of Planes

A Boeing 737-800 of Lion Air at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. This plane was involved in an accident in 2013.

The planes Lion Air uses have a special code from Boeing, which is "GP". You can see this in the names of some of their older Boeing planes, like 737-8GP.

Current Aircraft in Service

A Lion Air Boeing 737-900ER plane at Ngurah Rai International Airport.

A Lion Air Boeing 737-900ER with a special paint job, at Changi Airport.

A Lion Air Airbus A330-300 plane at Ngurah Rai Airport.

As of May 2025, Lion Air uses the following types of aircraft:

How Lion Air's Fleet Grew

Lion Air was the first airline to use the 737-900ER. This picture shows its first flight.

Lion Air was the first airline to order and use the largest version of the Boeing 737, called the 737-900ER. They placed this order in 2005. At the 2005 Paris Air Show, Lion Air made a deal with Boeing to buy up to 60 Boeing 737 Next Generation planes. This deal was worth $3.9 billion.

Lion Air confirmed their order in July 2005. They became the first airline to order the Boeing 737-900ER, with 30 firm orders and options for 30 more. These options were later changed into firm orders. The 737-900ER can carry up to 215 passengers. On April 27, 2007, Boeing delivered the first 737-900ER to Lion Air. This plane had a special paint design that showed both Lion Air's logo and Boeing's "Dreamliner" design.

Lion Air made a world record when it ordered 230 planes from Boeing. This was the largest order ever for a commercial airline at the time. In November 2011, Lion Air and Boeing announced that the airline planned to buy 29 more Boeing 737 Next Generation planes and 201 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. This order was valued at $21.7 billion.

A final order was signed on February 14, 2012. The 737 MAX planes were identified as 737 MAX 9s, making Lion Air the first airline to order that specific version. By the time of the signing, the order's value had grown to $22.4 billion. This was the largest aircraft order in history. The new planes were expected to be delivered starting in 2014 for the NGs and 2017 for the MAXs.

On March 18, 2013, Lion Air placed another huge order. They ordered 234 A320 jets from Airbus. This was the largest single order ever made, even bigger than their previous record with Boeing. The contract was signed in France and was worth €18.4 billion ($24 billion).

In April 2018, Lion Air Group ordered fifty Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets. These planes were valued at $6.24 billion.

However, after the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018, Lion Air said they might cancel all their Boeing orders. This idea became stronger after the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302. These events led to all 737 MAX aircraft around the world being stopped from flying. After the second crash, news reports said that Lion Air was looking at options from Airbus. They had already refused to take a 737 MAX plane that was supposed to be delivered in March 2019.

Lion Air received its first of 10 Airbus A330-900 planes on July 19, 2019. This made them the first airline in Asia/Pacific to operate this type of aircraft.

Planes Lion Air Used in the Past

Lion Air has used these types of aircraft in the past:

Lion Air's Share of the Market

In the 2000s, Lion Air started to grow a lot. It became a strong competitor to Garuda Indonesia, which is Indonesia's national airline, for flights within the country. By mid-2015, Lion Air had the biggest share of the domestic air travel market in Indonesia, with 41.6 percent. Garuda Indonesia was second with 23.5 percent.

Sriwijaya Air was third with 10.4 percent of the market. Then came Citilink (8.9 percent), which is Garuda's low-cost airline. Lion Air's own regional airline, Wings Air, had 4.7 percent. Indonesia AirAsia, which is part of the Malaysian budget airline AirAsia, had 4.4 percent of the market.

Overall, two main airline groups control most of the domestic air travel in Indonesia: Lion Air Group and Garuda Indonesia. By mid-2015, Lion Air Group had 43.17 percent of the market. Garuda Indonesia had 37.08 percent.

From 2005 to 2017, the Lion Air Group's share of the domestic market more than doubled, from 25% to 51%. Garuda Indonesia's share also grew from 24% to 33%. For international flights in 2017, Lion Air Group had 21% of the market, while Garuda Indonesia had 39%. Indonesia AirAsia / Indonesia AirAsia X had 36% of the international market.

More About Lion Air

• Aviation in Indonesia
• Lion Air Group
• Batik Air Malaysia
• Wings Air
• Batik Air
• Thai Lion Air
• List of airlines of Indonesia

See also

In Spanish: Lion Air para niños