The logo of the Indonesian airline Lion Air features the lion theme, while the airline theme is not so obvious.
Meaning and history
The Indonesian airline Lion Air was founded in October 1999. Regular passenger services began on June 30, 2000 (the first flights were between Jakarta and Pontianak).During the first year, the airline operated with a single Boeing 737 aircraft, what is more, it was leased.Continuously evolving, by 2005 Lion Air became the largest low-cost airline in Indonesia.
The company is owned by Indonesian businessman Rusdi Kirana and his family. Since its founding, the management of the airlines has not changed. Rusdi Kiran also owns their subsidiaries: Batik Air, Malindo Air, Lion Bizjet, Thai Lion Air and Wings Air.
Today, the Lion Air fleet consists of 118 aircraft, the average age of which does not exceed six years.
What is Lion Air?
Lion Air is the largest airline in Indonesia. It is headquartered in the capital city of Jakarta. The base airport and hub is Sukarno Hatta International Airport. The Juanda International Airport in Surabaya serves as an additional transit hub. Lion Air is not a member of any existing alliances.
1999
In its basic structure, the original Lion Air logo was the same as the current one: it also featured the lion emblem in the middle of the wordmark. Yet, the palette and typography made it look different from the current one.
The words “Lion Air” were given in dark blue (with the exception of the stroke on the “A”). Also, the glyphs were by far lighter and featured a serif type. In between the two words, you could see the side view of the lion’s head with a feathered circle.
The company also used a monotone red variation, yet it was not the primary logo.
2008
The refresh resulted in a new, more modern and dynamic typography. The implied motion appeared because of the italicized glyphs. There were no serifs now, and the overall shape of the letters was more streamlined, which worked great for the airline theme.
Font
The Lion Air logo features a dynamic custom sans with bold italicized glyphs. The shape of the “A” seems to somehow rhyme with the shape of the emblem.
Company overview
The full name of the company is PT Lion Mentari Airlines. The airline was established in 1999 under the name of PT Lion Mentari and commenced operations in 2000.
Lion Air is a low-cost airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is known as Indonesia’s largest privately run airline and the 2nd-largest low-cost airline in Southeast Asia.
The company has 118 airplanes and flies to 126 destinations.
Font and Color
The bold and friendly lettering from the primary Lion Air badge is set in a stylized sans-serif typeface with the title case characters slanted to the right. The closest fonts to the one, used in this insignia, are, probably, Cocomat Pro Heavy, or Grold Rounded Extra Black, with some minor modifications of the contours.
As for the color palette of the Lion Air visual identityC it is based on a bright and intense shade of red, which symbolized power, determination, and professionalism, at the same time making the air carrier stand out in the list of its competitors.