Indonesia-based low-cost carrier Lion Air is setting up a subsidiary airline in Thailand, which will be known as Thai Lion Air. The new subsidiary will use Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport as its hub. It will operate flights within Thailand and to neighbouring countries. Lion Air has yet to submit an application to the Civil Aviation Department of Thailand to obtain the air operator’s certificate. The airline is also considering partnerships in Myanmar, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the Philippines to expand its operations and absorb its vast aircraft capacity. The airline has ordered 201 B737 MAX aircraft and 29 next-generation 737-900ER aircrafts worth $22.4 billion from Boeing, making it the biggest single order for the US aircraft maker in its history, in terms of the number of planes and the value of the order. It has also placed an order for 234 A320 aircraft worth $24 billion, aiming to build a fleet of 1,000 aircraft in 10 years.
