List of Garuda Indonesia destinations

A wide, navy blue plane takes off of Sydney Airport. Qantas airplanes can be seen in the background.
A Garuda Indonesia Boeing 777-300ER, wearing the livery showing affiliation with the SkyTeam alliance, which gifted the airline codeshare agreements to expand its route map.[1] This fleet is used exclusively for middle and long-haul routes,[2] as well as high-demand short routes.[3]

Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia had its inaugural flight on 26 January 1946, from Calcutta to Rangoon, using a Douglas DC-3 with the tail number RI 001, named Seulawah. It operated as Indonesian Airways. President Sukarno changed the name to Garuda Indonesia Airways in November 1946, later Garuda Indonesia.[4]

The golden age of the airline started in 1956, when it operated Hajj flights using its eight Convair CV-240s. In 1963, it operated flights to Tokyo via Hong Kong using three Lockheed L-188 Electra. In 1965, Garuda expanded its destinations, with flights to Cambodia, China, Paris, Athens, and Prague. It also opened routes to Amsterdam from Jakarta, with stopovers in Bangkok, Mumbai, Karachi, Cairo, Rome, and Frankfurt. Australian routes were also introduced. Upon former CEO Reyn Altin Johannes Lumenta's request, Garuda dilated its route map, with services to Los Angeles via Honolulu in 1990, operated using the McDonnell Douglas MD-11.[5][6]

The airline's fall began with two crashes in 1996 and 1997. The 1997 Asian financial crisis caused Garuda to abruptly terminate its intercontinental services, though Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and London services were continued until 28 October 2004. The September 11 attacks, 2002 Bali bombings, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and SARS outbreak further contributed to the fall of the airline. It climaxed in 2007, when the crash of Flight 200 prompted the European Union (EU) to ban Indonesian airlines in its airspace.[6][7]

After the EU lifted its ban in July 2009,[5] Garuda began an aggressive five-year expansion plan known as the Quantum Leap, involving an image overhaul.[8] Using the Boeing 777-300ER Garuda reopened flights to London via Amsterdam.[9] However, after years of success thanks to the Leap, Ari Askhara taking over the CEO position made the airline inconsistent in destinations;[10] his leadership has drawn criticism.[11]

  1. ^ Natahadibrata, Nadya (6 March 2014). "Garuda joins SkyTeam, targets more passengers". The Jakarta Post. Denpasar: Niskala Media Tenggara. Archived from the original on 11 July 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Garuda Indonesia Plans Boeing 777-300ER Service Launch from July 2013". Routesonline. Aviation Week Network. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  3. ^ "Garuda Indonesia Plans Boeing 777-300ER Denpasar / Singapore Service in August 2013". Routesonline. Aviation Week Network. 9 February 2021. Archived from the original on 9 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  4. ^ "About Garuda Indonesia". Garuda Indonesia. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b Hermawan (23 December 2017). "Rekam Jejak Garuda Indonesia" [The History of Garuda Indonesia]. Tagar.id (in Indonesian). Jakarta. Archived from the original on 8 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Garuda Indonesian Airways". Flight International. Sutton: DVV Media Group. 29 April 1979. p. 1377. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2021 – via FlightGlobal.
  7. ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (22 July 2015). "Garuda 787 agreement likely to replace 777 deal - 9/16/2005". FlightGlobal. DVV Media Group. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  8. ^ Kukuh, Thomas, ed. (20 January 2017). "Mengenal Emirsyah Satar dan Quantum Leap yang Bikin Garuda Luar Biasa" [Emirsyah Satar and Quantum Leap, the Lifesaver of Garuda Indonesia]. JawaPos (in Indonesian). Jawa Pos Grup Multimedia. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ^ Pujobroto (8 September 2014). "Garuda Indonesia Extends Presence in Europe with the New Service to London" (Press release). London: Garuda Indonesia. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  10. ^ Tan, Vincent (2 January 2020). "Confirmed: Garuda Indonesia Tutup Rute London Akhir Maret 2020". PinterPoin (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  11. ^ Rasputri, Helinsa (12 January 2019). Indarini, Nurvita (ed.). "Pro dan Kontra soal Live Music di Dalam Pesawat Garuda Indonesia" [Pro and Contra: Live Music in Garuda Indonesia Flights]. Kumparan Travel (in Indonesian). Dynamo Media Network. Archived from the original on 5 December 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2021.