The History Of Malindo Air, The Airline Owned By The Conglomerate Rusdi Kirana Who Was Born For The 'war' In The ASEAN Sky And Has Now Changed Its Name To Batik Air Malaysia

Photo: Twitter @malindoair

JAKARTA - News about the change in the identity of Malindo Air to Batik Air Malaysia seems to be a separate signal for the revival of the aviation industry. Moreover, after a great dip due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fresh wind of loosening mobility has prompted a number of business actors to take expansion steps that have been delayed in the last two years. This indication can also be seen from Malindo Air's strategy towards the middle of the year.

Indeed, Malindo is one of the giant airlines in Southeast Asia's skies. The existence of this airline is quite important in the ASEAN aviation industry. So how did Malindo Air's history come to be?

Based on the information gathered by the editors, it is known that Malindo was born to challenge AirAsia's hegemony which is considered strong enough to penetrate various countries in the region.

This airline is a joint venture between Malaysia National Aerospace and Defense Industries with 51 percent of the capital and Lion Air from Indonesia with 49 percent of the capital invested by conglomerate Rusdi Kirana. Meanwhile, the name Malindo comes from the names of their respective countries: Malaysia and Indonesia.

Malindo Air was originally planned to fly on May 1, 2013 in Kuala Lumpur. However, management finally pushed the launch date to mid-March 2013 with domestic routes. In its service, Malindo Air only provides economy and business class seats.

"The entry of AirAsia from Malaysia into Lion Air's home in Indonesia encourages this airline to enter the Malaysian market through its subsidiaries. This agreement becomes a war between Lion Air and AirAsia, low-cost airlines that compete in the ASEAN market," said a credible literary source quoted as saying VOI on Saturday, April 30th.

Malindo itself provides flight facilities in the form of a personal TV in each seat, free snacks and meals, a seat range of 32 inches for economy class and 45 inches for business class. Then, free baggage allowance of 20 kg for economy class and 30 kg for business class.

In the early days of operation, the airline was formed by this similar country claiming to be able to carry more than 100,000 passengers in the first year.

Malindo has also expanded its parallel turboprop services, focusing primarily on intra-peninsula flights based at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. Initial destinations include Penang, Johor Bahru and Kota Bharu, flights have commenced in early June 2013.