KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Malindo Air will be renamed as Batik Air in the second half of the year to align itself with the Indonesian airline currently using that name, the low-cost carrier said in a report today.
According to its chief executive officer Chandran Rama Muthy, the branding change will give the airline a better position in the Lion Air Group that controls both Malindo and Batik Air, and to offer seamless domestic and international service.
“The feeder traffic from Lion Air group is not much now but the dynamics will change with Batik Air in the second half of this year,’’ Chandran was quoted saying in The Star Biz.
“We, Malindo Air will be the international link within the Lion Air group while the existing Batik Air Indonesia will continue to serve the Indonesian market and it is a full service carrier.
“We will promote Batik Air Malaysia brand across the 16 countries we operated in, and this will be a boost to our country, heritage and culture,’’ he added.
Lion Air Group owns 49 per cent of Malindo Airways Sdn Bhd, and Chandran owns the rest of the stake.
Besides Malindo Air and Batik Air, other subsidiaries in the group include Wings Abadi Airlines, Lion Bizjet, and Thai Lion Air.
According to the report, Malindo offers interlining services to four airlines: Etihad Airways, Oman Air, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways.
