BBN Airlines Indonesia, which operated its first flight in Indonesia in September 2024, has officially ceased all flight routes in the country as of March 2025.
The closure of BBN Airlines Indonesia’s flights was confirmed by the Acting Director General of Air Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa.
“PT BBN Indonesia Airlines has currently stopped operating its scheduled routes,” Laisa told the press on Tuesday, 11th March.
According to him, the airline was forced to halt its flight operations due to low passenger occupancy rates. For instance, flight data shows that on 15th January, there were only 81 passengers on the Jakarta–Surabaya route and 59 passengers on the Surabaya–Jakarta route. Furthermore, based on an evaluation of production data, the average load factor of BBN flights from November 2024 to January 2025 was only 50%, comparing the number of passengers to the available seating capacity.
However, Laisa added that BBN Airlines is not completely shutting down.
“PT BBN Indonesia Airlines is still serving unscheduled flights [charters], specifically for cargo,” he pointed out.
BBN Airlines was established in August 2022 and began operating in Indonesia on 27th September 2024. It is a subsidiary of Avia Solutions Group, a Dublin-based company that provides aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance (ACMI) services. The airline previously operated seven flights per week on three routes: Jakarta–Surabaya, Jakarta–Pontianak, and Jakarta–Denpasar.
As part of its expansion strategy, in December 2023, BBN Airlines Indonesia received a cash injection from Avia Solutions Group. This funding amounted to US$6.2 million (approximately Rp96.1 billion, based on an exchange rate of Rp15,100 per US dollar). The funds were intended for fleet development and expansion, with an ambitious target of acquiring up to 40 aircraft by the end of 2027.