Mandala Airlines places first A320 order from Indonesia

Mandala Airlines has signed a contract for 25 A320s and has become the first customer for the type from Indonesia. The airline already holds the status of being the first Indonesian carrier to operate A320s following the entry into service of the first of two leased aircraft in December 2006. The new A320s will be used to replace old generation Boeing 737-200s on Mandala Airlines’ widespread domestic network that extends to over 20 destinations. The A320s will be configured with 180 economy class seats.

More than 5,000 A320 family aircraft have been ordered by customers worldwide, over 1,100 of which are from full-service and low-cost airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. The A320 has a widespread reputation for high dispatch reliability even on short hops, with wide aisles facilitating quick turnarounds for efficient operations.

“With this order, Mandala will enter a new era in terms of advanced aircraft technology and passenger comfort”, said Diono Nurjadin, President Director Mandala Airlines, “The A320 will offer our passengers the highest levels of travel comfort whilst allowing us to benefit from their unbeatable economics including but not limited to lower fuel burn, reduced maintenance costs, lower direct operating costs and higher residual values. We are ready to expand our network from West to East Indonesia with the A320.”

“I am delighted to welcome Mandala Airlines as a new customer for the best selling A320, which represents a major breakthrough for Airbus in the rapidly growing Indonesian air transport market.” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer – Customers, Airbus. “The airline took a pioneering step by introducing the low-cost, high comfort A320 to the domestic market last year and I am pleased to see this successful initiative leading to a major order from Indonesia.”

The A318, A319, A320 and A321 make up the world’s best-selling commercial jetliner. Designed to optimise revenue through cabin adaptability and passenger comfort and featuring the most modern and complete fly-by-wire technology available on any single-aisle aircraft, they ensure savings in every element of direct operating cost and provide operators with the highest degree of operational commonality and economy for aircraft in the 100-220 seat category. Additional technology features include advanced fuel-saving aerodynamics, including winglets and the widespread application of weight-saving carbon fibre composite.

The A320 Family’s optimised cabin cross-section - the widest single-aisle fuselage on the market - sets new standards for passenger cabin flexibility in this segment. It allows for top-of-the-range comfort with wider seats and aisles, or an extra-wide aisle for the fast turnarounds that are essential in the low-cost markets. Furthermore, the superior cabin size and shape allow larger overhead stowage to be fitted for faster boarding and deplaning as well as greater convenience.