Indonesia's national carrier the first to connect Indonesia and UK non-stop


Garuda Indonesia, the airline of Indonesia, has announced it will launch direct services from Jakarta to London for the first time in Q4 2013. The route will be served with six weekly flights on the airline's new Boeing 777-300 aircraft, accommodating 314 passengers across First, Executive and Economy Class.

Garuda Indonesia President and CEO, Emirsyah Satar explained that the opening of the route from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to Gatwick Airport will complement the existing Jakarta - Abu Dhabi - Amsterdam route, and is part of the Quantum Leap program to further develop Garuda Indonesia's international network and become a 'global player'.

"This flight will be more convenient since it will be serving passengers - non-stop from Jakarta to London with the brand new B777-300ER, which will be equipped with Wi-Fi and a chef on board for First Class passengers. We chose Gatwick, London as the UK airport because of its convenience and good network and accessibility options into Europe and beyond," Satar added.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "We want to link Britain up with the world's fastest growing economies. And good air links are vital to achieving that. This new route from London to Jakarta is good for British business and will help them to compete in the global race."

This year, Garuda Indonesia has also expanded its flight network to Europe through codeshare agreements with other international airlines, including Etihad Airways, which enables passengers to fly into seven major cities across Europe.

For further information, visit www.garuda-indonesia.net.au

About Garuda Indonesia

Garuda Indonesia, the airline of Indonesia, is a full-service network carrier and serves 43 domestic and 19 international destinations. The airline's main hubs in Indonesia are located in Jakarta and Denpasar. In July 2009, the airline unveiled a new aircraft fleet, new in-flight product, new service concept and a fresh corporate identity to mark the start of its transformation into one of Asia's most successful and profitable airlines.

Garuda Indonesia received its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification in May 2008, recognising that the airline is fully compliant with global best-practice standards for flight operations, aircraft maintenance and safety management systems. In December 2009, the airline was also upgraded to a four-star rating by SkyTrax, the global benchmark for airline service standards, confirming the improvement in its front-line product and service quality. In January, February and July 2012, Garuda Indonesia was recognised as 'The Best International Airline' by Roy Morgan and more recently as 'The World's Best Regional Airline' as well as 'The Best Regional Airline in Asia' by SkyTrax.

For more information, please contact:

Franziska Kaestner
ICON International Communications
E   fkaestner@iconinternational.com.au
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