Indonesia is the world’s 14th-largest country by area, and ranks seventh in the world in terms of population. As such, domestic air travel plays a key role in getting its citizens from A to B. One carrier that specializes in this regard is all-Boeing 737 operator Sriwijaya Air.
Dominated by the 737-800
According to data from ch-aviation.com, there are presently 15 aircraft in Sriwijaya Air’s fleet. All of these come from Boeing’s popular 737 family, with the dominant variant being the 737-800. This version of the twin-engined narrowbody accounts for 60% of Sriwijaya Air’s current fleet, with nine examples present. Historically, it has flown a further 18 examples.
Sriwijaya Air’s Boeing 737-800s have an average age of 15.2 years old, and five of the nine are presently active. The remaining four are all in storage at the carrier’s Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) hub. It received these aircraft second-hand from various carriers, including Garuda Indonesia, JetLite, Nordwind Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines.
Sriwijaya Air fits its 737-800s with an all-economy 189-seat configuration with 30-32 inches of pitch. This is a typical one-class layout for the type, also used by the likes of Ryanair.
Smaller 737-500s
Sriwijaya Air also currently has multiple examples of the smaller Boeing 737-500 at its disposal. Five of these twinjets are present in its fleet today, of which ch-aviation’s data lists just one as being active. Three of the remaining four are in storage at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma, and Pondok Cabe airports, with the other at Surabaya.
Sriwijaya Air’s 737-500s are its oldest aircraft, clocking in at a significant average age of 27.5 years old. Historically speaking, it has operated a further 10 examples. This includes PK-CLC, an ex-Continental and United Airlines example that sadly crashed in January 2021.
The 737-500s that Sriwijaya Air flies are also its smallest aircraft, seating just 120 passengers each. Interestingly, they differ from its high-density 737-800s in offering an eight-seat business class cabin. This offers an increased seat pitch of 35 inches, and the seats are laid out in a four-abreast setup, as opposed to the 3-3 configuration seen in economy class.
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A single 737-900ER
Sriwijaya Air’s largest and newest aircraft is the single Boeing 737-900ER that the Indonesian carrier operates. It bears the registration PK-CMP, and is comparatively young at 7.17 years old. Sriwijaya Air used to operate a second 737-900ER, registered as PK-CMO. However, it left the airline in August 2020, and has largely remained in storage ever since.
Unlike its other 737s, PK-CMP came to Sriwijaya Air as a brand-new plane. The carrier took delivery of the extended-range twinjet in August 2015, having ordered it in May that year. It has 220 seats in an all-economy configuration, offering 30-32 inches of seat pitch.
What do you make of Sriwijaya Air’s all-737 fleet? Have you ever flown with this Indonesian carrier? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.
