30 May 2014
Garuda Indonesia, today, Friday 30 May, launched the Jakarta – Amsterdam direct route following its entrance into the SkyTeam global airline alliance in March 2014. Garuda Indonesia is making a number of changes to its plans to reflect its commitment to the alliance to allow its customers to make maximum use of the many benefits it brings. The first major change is that Garuda Indonesia has decided to make Amsterdam, The Netherlands, its hub for Europe and beyond.
Garuda has been flying to Amsterdam already since 1963. In order to make this hub effective and most convenient for its customers, Garuda starts flying direct five times per week between Jakarta and Amsterdam starting today. The new flight is using its brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which is capable of flying up to 14,500 kilometres and 15 hours non-stop. Previously, Garuda Indonesia served the Jakarta - Amsterdam flight with a stopover in Abu Dhabi using Airbus A330 aircraft.
This product will be the first-ever commercial non-stop flight between Indonesia and The Netherlands and is sure to be the most convenient and comfortable way for anyone flying between the two countries. The new service will shorten passengers' travel time from Jakarta to Amsterdam and vice versa to less than 14 hours, whilst also providing the fastest connection not only between Indonesia and the Netherlands, but also Southeast Asia and Europe.
The inauguration of Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop service is in-line with the airline's effort to offer seamless connectivity on either end to over 60 destinations in Indonesia and Australasia as well as all major destinations in Europe and beyond through the combined extensive networks of Garuda Indonesia and the SkyTeam member airlines.
President & CEO of Garuda Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar, commented that the initial Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop service is also aligned with Garuda's entry into the SkyTeam global alliance on 5 March 2014. “Following Garuda's official joining of the SkyTeam, the opportunities presented by the established SkyTeam hub at Amsterdam are too significant to pass up, as it will be an alternative gateway for passengers who wish to travel beyond Europe. They will be able to choose from 1,064 destinations in 178 countries served by the SkyTeam member airlines.”
Business and leisure passengers will be able to fly non-stop between Indonesia and the Netherlands five times per week. The flight will depart from Jakarta (GA088) at 00.55 Local Time (LT) and arrive in Amsterdam at 09.40 LT. Meanwhile, the return flight from Amsterdam (GA089) will leave at 12.35 LT and arrive in Jakarta at 07.15 LT.
With the operation of Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop flight, Garuda Indonesia will leave Abu Dhabi and optimize its code share agreement with Etihad Airways, following the codeshare agreement with the United Arab Emirates carrier signed in October 2011.
Garuda to Reinstate its London Service via Amsterdam
A consequence of this major move is that Garuda's earlier plan to start a direct flight to London this year will undergo a slight change. London will be served through the Amsterdam hub as well, starting 8 September 2014. However, true to its commitment to operate its own flight to London, this destination will not be offered through one of Garuda's SkyTeam partners, but will use the same Garuda Boeing 777 aircraft that will fly to Amsterdam.
Garuda Indonesia will reinstate its service to the capital city of the UK connected to the Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop flight. Therefore, starting on 8 September, the Jakarta – Amsterdam – Jakarta flight will change to become Jakarta – Amsterdam – London – Amsterdam – Jakarta. This will provide added convenience for the many Indonesians who wish to visit multiple cities in Europe during their trip.
Garuda Indonesia will be serving flights to Jakarta – London via Amsterdam five times per week. The flight will depart from Jakarta (GA088) at 00.55 LT and arrive in Amsterdam at 09.40 LT. The flight will then depart from Amsterdam at 11.55 LT and arrive in London Gatwick at 12.00 LT. Meanwhile, the return flight from London (GA089) will leave at 13.10 LT and arrive in Amsterdam at 15.15 LT. The flight then will depart for Jakarta at 17.00 LT and arrive at 11.40 LT.
The opening of the new service will boost business activities between Indonesia and the United Kingdom, whilst offering seamless connectivity to and from even more destinations in Garuda's global and regional network. This will include the Asia Pacific region, as the flight will also be connected to the airline's service from Jakarta to Australia, namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.
Garuda Indonesia will serve the Jakarta – Amsterdam – London flight with its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft capable of carrying 314 passengers, with a seating configuration of 8 seats in First Class, 38 seats in Business Class, and 268 seats in Economy Class. The fleet is equipped with 'Inflight Connectivity' facilities, including 'WiFi Onboard' and 'Live TV' services for passengers in all classes and a chef on board for First Class passengers.
The 'Inflight Connectivity' facilities enable passengers to remain connected to the internet and continue their business activities during the flight or simply access their favourite entertainment, such as live football games via the sports channel, and many other entertainment options.
In addition to the Jakarta – London service, Garuda Indonesia plans to open its new services to Manila and Mumbai this year. To support the airline's network expansion program, in 2014 Garuda Indonesia will take delivery of 27 new aircraft, consisting of two Boeing 777-300 ER, four Airbus A330, 12 Boeing 737-800NG, three Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen, and six ATR72-600.
-Ends-
For further press information please contact:
James Brooke / Nick Wheywell / Sakhita Sharma / Kevan Barber
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E: garudaindonesia@rooster.co.uk
Garuda Indonesia
Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia and provides passengers with an authentic Indonesian experience from the moment they book their trip; to the moment they collect their bags.
The Garuda Indonesia experience is based on the five senses – sight, sound, scent, taste and touch. Through the traditional Indonesian food served on board the aircraft to the smell of aromatic flowers, passengers will be immersed in all that the country has to offer.
Garuda Indonesia received the Best Regional Airline in the World award in 2012 from Skytrax and in 2013 was awarded The World's Best Economy Class and The World's Best Economy Class Seats by Skytrax at the International Paris Air Show.
In March 2014, Garuda Indonesia joined SkyTeam, the global airline alliance with 20 members, providing access to an extensive global network with over 15,700 daily flights to 1,064 destinations in 178 countries.
Keep up-to-date with the latest news from Garuda Indonesia by visiting www.garudaindonesia.co.uk. Alternatively become a Garuda Indonesia Fan on Facebook by 'Liking' Facebook.com/GarudaIndonesiaUK or follow Garuda Indonesia on Twitter @Garuda_UK.
