Garuda Receives 12th A330-200

PT Garuda Indonesia receives the 12th A330-200 at its Aero Asia Maintenance Facility on Saturday, the national airline company’s spokesman Pujobroto said here Saturday. He said the plane came from the Airbus plant in Toulouse, France,after a 14-hour non-stop flight.

The plane was welcomed by State Enterprises Minister Mustafa Abubakar, Air Transportation Director General Herry Bhakti, several foreign ambassadors, and Garuda’s president director. Pujobroto said the arrival of the plane was to meet the airline company’s Quantum Leap.

"Last year Garuda has received 24 new planes including 23 Boeing 737-800 NGs, and an Airbus 330-200," he said.

Garuda’s president director Emirsyah Satar was quoted by Pujobroto as saying that in 2011 Garuda has been procuring 11 new planes consisting of nine Boeing 737-800 NGs and two Airbus 330-200s.

"A Boeing B737-800 NG has arrived in January 2011, and the Airbus A330-200 which has arrived today was the 12th of the same type Indonesia already has", Emirsyah Satar said.

On Sunday, April 17, 2011, Garuda Indonesia will also receive a new Boeing B 737-800 NG from the Boeing plant in Seatle, the United States.

"Tomorrow (April 17) at 10am the plan would be landing in Jakarta," Emirsyah said, adding that in line with the increase in the number of planes, Garuda will increase its flight frequency from Jakarta to a number of domestic destinations.

The flight frequency to Palembang will be raised from 8 to 9 per day, to Batam (from 3 to 4 per day), to Padang from 3 to 4 per day, and to Surabaya from 15 to 16 per day, to Balikpapan from 7 to eight per day, to Yogyakarta and Denpasar from 2 to 3 per day, and from Surbaya to Denpasar from 3 to 4 per day.

On the airline’s international routes, Garuda will also increase it flight frequency from Denpasar to Seoul from 3 to 5 per week, and from Jakarta to Bangkok from once to twice a day starting from June 2011. Garuda also planned to open several international and domestic routes this year.

The airline company planned to start flying to Taipei in November 2011, while with regard to domestic flights in the middle of this year Garuda will open a new Balikpapan-Surabaya, Balikpapan-Yogyakarta and Balikpapan-Makassar routes. In June 2011, Garuda also planned to make Makasar as a hub (besides Jakarta and Denpasar).

Various new routes will be opened from Makassar, and increased from seven to 13 such as from Makassar to Manado, Ternate, Ambon, Palu, Biak, Jayapura, Denpasar, Surabaya, Jakarta, Balikpapan and Gorontalo.

Garuda will also fly to Sorong, Timika and Kupang from Makassar, and make Medan a hub for its flights in Sumatra. Garuda, under its Quantum Leap program until 2015 planned to have 153 aircraft comprising B737-800NGs, A330-200s, and B777-300ER.