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rivately owned Mandala Airlines is gearing up to increase its market share in the country’s growing low-cost carrier industry by putting into operation up to 15 Airbus 320s next year.

Mandala’s commercial director, Brata Rafly, said the company would use the new aircraft to expand the airline’s domestic network, especially from cities in Java and Sumatra, as well as its international network.

“The healthy economy has led to continued growth in Indonesia’s aviation market, particularly in the western part of our country,” Brata said at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on the sidelines of the fifth A-320 delivery ceremony on Monday.

“After recently connecting Padang [West Sumatra capital] to Jakarta and Singapore, we plan to connect more emerging cities in Sumatra, such as Pekanbaru [in Riau] to the capital city and Singapore in 2013.”

On Dec. 1, Mandala opened four new routes linking the capital cities of West Sumatra and Bali with major cities in Indonesia and Singapore. The routes are: Padang–Jakarta, Padang–Singapore, Denpasar–Surabaya, and Denpasar–Singapore.

Since the first day the routes were introduced, the airline has seen increasing demand from customers, particularly with the approach of the Christmas and New Year holidays, he said.

“As a long-time player in the industry, Mandala has its own loyal customers who regularly fly with the airline. Thus, we are committed to more aggressive business expansion in the coming years to better serve them,” he continued.

The airline is partly owned by Singapore-based Tiger Airways; Brata said the association with Tiger would benefit Mandala’s business expansion. Tiger has 45 destinations across 14 countries and territories in Asia Pacific, from Singapore to
Australia.

Mandala and Tiger plan to implement joint code sharing to ease connectivity between the two airlines. Mandala customers can fly to Tiger destinations, like India, with ease by taking off on a Mandala flight.

He also said that the airline planned to have 25 aircraft in operation by the end of 2015 to accommodate surging demand from both leisure and business travelers.

In addition, Mandala will commence multi-leg flights starting on Jan. 4 with its fifth A-320 connecting Surabaya, East Java with Jakarta, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

He said the aircraft would fly from Jakarta to Surabaya and then continue on to Singapore. Before continuing on the third leg to the Malaysian capital, the aircraft would first return to Surabaya.

From Kuala Lumpur, the A-320 would fly to Surabaya and then come back to Jakarta, he explained.

Mandala Airlines president commissioner Djusman Syafii Jamal, also a former transportation minister, said the airline expected to get more support from state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II in obtaining better air slots.

Currently, Mandala connects Jakarta with Medan, Padang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok. It also links Medan, Padang and Denpasar to Singapore.

Mandala is owned by the Saratoga Group and Tiger Airways, which hold 51.3 percent and 33 percent, respectively, of the airline’s shares. The remaining 15.7 percent is held by previous shareholders and creditors of Mandala.