Singapore , Malaysia and Vietnam . The airline plans to use the new fleet to both expand routes among the 6,000 inhabited islands in Indonesia as well as new routes to Japan , South Korea , China and Taiwan . While the developed world has been pummeled with recession , stagnant growth and rising debt burdens in the wake of the 2007-2008 Financial Crisis , developing powerhouses like Indonesia have continued to rise . Indonesia 's economic output was $ 706.6 billion in 2010 , up from just $ 95.4 billion in 1998 when the nation was embroiled in the Asian Financial Crisis , which led to the end of the longtime dictatorship of Indonesian President Suharto . His departure led the way for economic and political reform in the world 's fourth most populous nation . The soaring fortunes of Indonesia echoes the number of Indonesians taking to the skies -- this year , the numbers traveling by air within the country is expected to rise 15 % , the Indonesian Transportation Ministry said . `` As Indonesia 's middle class increases in number , more and more people will be traveling throughout the archipelago , '' said Indonesian
Hong Kong -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The largest single aviation purchase in Boeing 's 94-year history was pulled off today by Lion Air . Lion who ? If you have never heard of Lion Air , you 're not alone . Unless you speak Bahasa Indonesia and have traveled around the vast array of islands that make up the world 's most populous Muslim nation , there is no reason why you should have . With U.S. President Barack Obama watching on the sidelines of the ASEAN -LRB- Association of Southeast Asian Nations -RRB- economic summit in Bali , Lion Air signed a deal for 230 Boeing planes totaling $ 21.7 billion , with the first delivery in 2017 -- part of the airline 's plan to buy 408 new planes at $ 37.7 billion , Lion Air CEO Rusdy Kirana told CNN . `` From east to west , Indonesia spans 5,000 miles and we have 230 million -LRB- people -RRB- and not enough aircraft to meet the growth of the number of passengers , '' Kirana said . Right now , the airline has only a few routes that take it out of Indonesia to Southeast Asian neighbors