In Indian Vedic tradition, Garuda is the carrier of the Hindu god Vishnu; a representation of Garuda appears in the coat of arms of Indonesia. The airline is based in Jakarta at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, with hubs at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, Juanda International Airport, Surabaya, Polonia International Airport, Medan, Sepinggan International Airport, Balikpapan, and Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore. The airline flies to a number of destinations in South-East,East Asia, the Middle East and Australia. It also previously flew to several destinations in Europe and North America. However, as of June 2009, Garuda, along with all Indonesian airlines, is banned from flying to the EU. Garuda Indonesia is listed as a 3-star airline by Skytrax, and is also listed among Skytrax's Quality Approved Airlines. It is wholly owned by the Indonesian Government and employs 6,285 staff (as of March 2007).
HistoryGaruda Indonesia had its beginnings in the Indonesian war of independence against the Dutch in the late 1940s, when Garuda flew special transports with Douglas DC-3 aircraft. 26 January 1949 is generally recognized as the airline's founding date, at which time the airline was known as "Garuda Indonesian Airways." The first aircraft was a DC-3 known as
Seulawah (Acehnese: "Gold Mountain") and was purchased for a sum of 120,000 Malayan dollars, which was provided by the Acehnese people (notably local merchants). During the revolution, the airline supported Indonesian interests, such as carrying Indonesian leaders for diplomatic missions.
The government of Burma helped the airline significantly during the airline's beginnings. Accordingly, upon Garuda's formal joint incorporation with KLM on 31 March 1950, the airline presented the Burmese government with a DC-3. By 1953, the airline had 46 aircraft, although by 1955 its Catalina fleet had been retired. In 1956, Garuda made its first pilgrim flight to the city of Mecca.
The 1960s were times of growth for the airline; the fleet in 1960 included eight Convair 240s, eight Convair 340s, and three Convair 440s. In 1961 and late 1965, three Convair 990 jet aircraft and three Lockheed L-188 Electras were introduced, and a route was opened to Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong. After concentrating on domestic and regional services, the first flights to Europe were added on 28 September 1963, to Amsterdam and Frankfurt. In 1965, flights to Europe were expanded to include Rome and Paris via Bombay and Cairo, with the exclusive use of Convair 990 aircraft. That year, flights to China started, with Garuda flying to Canton via Phnom Penh. Also in 1965, the jet age arrived for Garuda, with a Douglas DC-8 that flew to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam.
The 1970s saw McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Fokker F28 jets introduced, and at one point Garuda owned 36 Fokker jets, making Garuda the world's largest operator of F28s at that time. In the 1980s, Garuda introduced Airbus equipment such as the Airbus A300, as well as Boeing 737s, Boeing 747s, and McDonnell Douglas MD-11s.
The East Asian Economic Crisis of 1998 hit Indonesia and Garuda hard, resulting in severe cutbacks on unprofitable routes. Despite once having a comprehensive worldwide route network, Garuda currently operates no flights to Europe or North America. Largely due to historical links with the Netherlands, Garuda continued to operate flights to Amsterdam after the initial cutbacks, although these flights were also discontinued from 28 Oct 2004. The situation was exacerbated by the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Bali bombings, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and the SARS scare, all of which contributed to a downturn in air travel and Indonesian tourism. However, the airline has recovered favorably from its economic problems and seems to be in good economic shape entering the middle 2000s.
In 2001, a low-cost airline subsidiary,
CitiLink, was established to provide shuttle services between Indonesian cities.
Garuda may expand its route map again before the end of the decade, possibly after the scheduled completion of the new Medan airport, Kuala Namu International Airport, in 2009. This could include routes to major European hubs such as Paris, London, and Frankfurt, pending clearance by the European Union.
In June 2007, the EU banned Garuda Indonesia, along with all other Indonesian airlines, from flying into any European countries. This was despite spot checks conducted by South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and the United States on Garuda Indonesia that yielded satisfactory results. With the support of the international aviation industry for all Indonesian airlines, the EU promised to review its ban and sent experts to Indonesia to consider lifting the ban. In August 2007, the transportation minister of Indonesia announced that the EU would lift its ban hopefully somewhere in October, stating that the ban was attributed to communication breakdown between the two parties and that discussion was in the progress. In November 2007, Garuda announced its intention to fly to Amsterdam from Jakarta and Denpasar on the condition that the European Union lifted the ban on the airline. Airbus A330s and Boeing 777s are aircraft that could be used on these revitalised routes. On November 28, 2007, the EU refused to lift its ban on Garuda flying to all European countries, despite lifting a ban on both Pakistan International Airlines and Blue Wing Airlines from Surinam. It announced the safety reforms already undertaken were a step in the right direction for the EU to consider lifting the ban, but still did not satisfy the EU's aviation safety standards. The ban was still in effect in 2009.
In July 2007, the Deputy of Marketing, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Indonesia announced that Garuda Indonesia had plans to start service to India, although the date has not been determined. (
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Legian
Kuta Square - Kartika Plaza
