Indonesia`s Adam Air looks to expand fleet to 50-60 jets within five years

"We plan to add more planes to our fleet, around four or five additional aircraft each year. So in five years we will have about 50 to 60 aircraft. Right now we have 23," spokesman Danke Dradjat was quoted by Thomson Financial as saying.

He said that it was undecided yet whether Adam Air would continue to fly only Boeing 737 series jets or switch to Airbus, but it would depend on "terms and conditions" offered by the two main manufacturers.

He could not give an estimate of how much the carrier would spend but said the rapid expansion of low cost carriers in India and China meant planes were getting more difficult to lease so costs were soaring.

Adam Air opened a new domestic route this week to Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan province on Borneo island, and was studying opening flights to Ambon and Kupang in the east, Dradjat said.