All large orders like this are good news – now for Airbus and previously for Boeing – but I can’t help wondering what Lion Air is going to do with that many aircraft. And, the fact that it is not allowed to fly in EU airspace doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Let’s hope I’m wrong for the sake of lots of people, not least the Airbus and Boeing workers.

What is the relations on ordering many aircraft with can’t flying on EU Airspace ? Lion Air, Air Asia or any other high growth budget Airline in Asia never (or if they did, only on very small percentage) considered EU as their target on any of their business plan. The airline industry growth in Asia far exceeding EU.

As I’ve mentioned before, not all of those 400+ aircraft order by Lion Air will operated in same period. Like any other Airline that put large order, some of the order will be counted as replacement for existing Aircraft. Presently Lion Air (and it’s subsidiary Wings Air) already operated more than 100 Aircraft, thus some of the new order when delivered, will be slotted as replacement, since the airline already targeted the average age of it’s fleet around 5-6 years. Most of those high growth budget Airline in Asia like Lion, Air Asia, Cebu Pacific etc, will target their average fleet age around that number, for cost efficiency.

Lion like Air Asia plan to operated several Airlines subsidiary in several Regional Country. Air Asia Group already operated Airline from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and Japan. Lion besides Indonesia already setting subsidiary which will operated soon from Malaysia, and from what I heard they are in negotiations in Vietnam, Philippines and Myanmar.

Those hundreds of Aircraft thus will fly solely on Regional Asian routes, and chances very small they ever think on operating to EU airspace. Budget Airline concept seems not fit well with long haul operations from Asia to EU airspace. Look Air Asia X, after try for some time with EU routes, then finally decided focusing only on Asian routes.

BTW: Lion Airline after got ban to US Airspace by FAA, then got approval by FAA for US operations after they place huge order with Boeing. Can anybody still certain they will still ban much longer from EU operations after ordering this large number of Airbus :dev2:

Not they ever will try budget airline concept to fly to EU or US anyway 😉