Lion Air takes legal action as comedians take jabs at its safety record

Lion Air has filed a legal complaint against Lelah Miskin Project for defamation as comedians in the group, led by Marshel Widianto, take to poke fun at its safety record. According to media reports, a Lion Air spokesman said the video contains misleading and defamatory material that can damage the brand’s reputation in the public eye. A police complaint is also expected to be filed. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Lion Air for comment. 

While the original video has since been deleted, netizen-recorded content is however still circulating online. It is seen that comedians throughout the video make fun of the airline’s safety record. Lion Air has had several safety scares but only two major crashes in its service history.  Approximately three years ago, Lion Air was involved in an aircraft crash due to design flaws in a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Prior to that, the airline had another crash in 2004 after it overran on a runway.

Meanwhile the comedians have also uploaded an apology video on their Instagram, adding that the video damages Lion Air's credibility and the trio will be more careful with the content they create. 

The group has 5,810 followers and the apology video has 1,625 likes.

Lion Air is a subsidiary of PT. Langit Esa Oktagon (PT. LEO Group) which is part of the wider Lion Group. The Indonesian-headquartered group operates Lion Air, Batik Air and Wings Air.

It was first launched in 2000,  and according to its website, its “success in becoming the country’s leading low-cost carrier has been built on delivering exceptional fare value” to customers, ensuring convenient flight schedules and creating a route network vital to the interests of the 260 million people in Southeast Asia’s most populous nation.

Since 2018, we has also strategically expanded its passenger services to select international markets including Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and China.

Like many in the airline industry, 2020 and 2021 was a tough period for the company. Last year it had to cut between 25% to 35% of its 23,000 employees, amounting to around 8,000 individuals. Additionally, the group also decreased its operation to between 10% to 15% of its 1,400 flights per day. 

Earlier this year, its sister brand Malindo Air was rebranded as Batik Air in line with the Lion Group's goal to establish a common identity for the full-service airlines within the group. The exercise will be conducted in phases and Batik Air will communicate to its passengers and partners progressively during the rollout.

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