Citilink Orders 25 Units of Airbus

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Budget airline Citilink, a subsidiary of the nation's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, has made an order for 25 units of Airbus A320neo aircraft.

The order estimated to be worth more than US$2 billion was the first made by the airline. Previously orders were made by Garuda.

"A320 aircraft have played an important role in the success made by  Citilink," Executive Director of the airline Arif Wibowo said in news release received here on Tuesday.

Arif said the operating cost of the aircraft is lower and the aircraft are considered the most convenient and ideal for the routes served by Citilink.

Currently, Citilink operates 12 leased units of A320s to serve domestic flights, which are growing fast. A320 aircraft are fuel efficient, Arif said, adding a new unit could save up to 15 percent of fuel equivalent to 1.4 million liters of fuel per year.

Nearly 8,900 units of A320 aircraft of several variants have been on order  and more than 5,300 units of them were already delivered to 380 buyers or operators all over the world. (*/T007)