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]
Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia, headquartered at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport near Jakarta. A successor of KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf, it is a member of SkyTeam airline alliance and the second-largest airline of Indonesia after Lion Air, operating scheduled flights to a number of destinations across Asia, Europe, and Australia from its hubs, focus cities, as well as other cities for Hajj. It is the only Indonesian airline that flies to European airspace.
Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, abbreviated SHIA or Soetta, formerly legally called Jakarta Cengkareng Airport, is the primary airport serving the Jakarta metropolitan area on the island of Java in Indonesia. Named after the first president and vice-president of Indonesia, Sukarno (1901–1970) and Mohammad Hatta (1902–1980), the airport is located at Benda, Tangerang and Cengkareng, West Jakarta, which is about 20 km northwest of Central Jakarta. Together with Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport, they served over 80 million passengers in 2019.
PT Indonesia AirAsia, operating as Indonesia AirAsia, is an Indonesian low-cost airline based in Tangerang, Banten. It operates scheduled domestic and international services and is an Indonesian associate carrier of the Malaysian AirAsia. Its main base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Indonesia AirAsia is listed in category 1 by the Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.
Sriwijaya Air is an Indonesian airline headquartered and based at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. It began its operations on 10 November 2003, and flies scheduled and chartered services on domestic routes within Indonesia as well as international routes to neighbouring countries. The airline's slogan is Your Flying Partner.
PT Pelita Air Service, trading as Pelita Air, is a domestic airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Its main operating base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, and it is headquartered at Pondok Cabe Airport. Pelita Air is listed in category 1 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.
Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport, formerly named as Sepinggan Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Balikpapan and adjacent areas of East Kalimantan, located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The airport began its new operational phase on 6 August 1997, with a new building and runway structure, replacing the old structure on the same site. The airport is operated by PT. Angkasa Pura I, which has an area of 300 hectares.
PT Citilink Indonesia, operating as Citilink, is an Indonesian low-cost airline headquartered in Jakarta. Established in July 2001 as a low-cost brand of Garuda Indonesia, it operates services to domestic and regional destinations. Since 30 July 2012, Citilink has officially operated as a separate subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, operating with its own callsign, airline codes, logo, and uniform. Its main base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport and Juanda International Airport. The company slogan is Better Fly, Citilink.
Milas–Bodrum Airport is an international airport that serves the Turkish towns of Bodrum and Milas. The airport is situated 36 km (22 mi) northeast of the town of Bodrum, and 16 km (9.9 mi) south of Milas.
Juanda International Airport is an international joint-use airport located in Sedati District, Sidoarjo Regency, East Java, Indonesia. It is now the third busiest airport in Indonesia. This airport is located approximately 12 kilometres from Downtown Surabaya and serves the Surabaya metropolitan area, the metropolitan area of Surabaya plus extended urban area. Juanda International Airport is operated by PT Angkasa Pura I. The airport takes its name after Djuanda Kartawidjaja (1911–1963), the last Prime Minister of Indonesia who had suggested development of this airport. In 2019, the airport served about 500 aircraft per day.
Dalaman Airport is an international airport and one of three serving southwest Turkey, the others being Milas–Bodrum Airport and Antalya Airport. It has two terminals. The old terminal is used for domestic flights and the new terminal is for international flights. The airport serves the surrounding tourist areas of Ölüdeniz, Dalyan, Fethiye, Hisarönü, Ovacık, Kaş, Kalkan and environs of Dalaman. Flights are available to and from over 120 destinations, across the rest of Turkey, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
El Tari Airport — formerly Penfui Airport — is a domestic airport in Kupang on the island of Timor in the province of East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. The airport is named after El Tari (1926–1978), the governor of East Nusa Tenggara from 1966 to 1978. The airport's ICAO code was changed from WRKK to WATT in 2004. As of December 2018, there were at least 258 outbound flights per week from the airport.
Supadio Airport, formerly known as Sei Durian Airport or Sungai Durian Airport, is a domestic airport serving Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is located 17 kilometres (11 mi) from Downtown Pontianak. The airport is managed by PT. Angkasa Pura II, and takes up 528 ha. The airport serves as the main point of entry to West Kalimantan. The airport serves domestic routes only as of mid-2023. The airport was named the best airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International.
Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport is an international airport serving Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is located 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Makassar's city centre and is operated by PT. Angkasa Pura I. The current terminal was opened on 20 August 2008. The airport is the main gateway for flights to the eastern part of Indonesia, and named after Sultan Hasanuddin (1631–1670), a Sultan of Gowa, who fought against the Dutch East India Company in the 1660s.
TransNusa is an airline headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was launched in August 2005, serving various destinations from Kupang, Timor, using aircraft chartered from Pelita Air and Trigana Air Service. In August 2011, TransNusa received its own air operator's certificate (AOC) and scheduled commercial airline permit, operating as a regional carrier. The airline relaunched in 2022 after briefly ceasing operations in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to a change in strategy, the airline has since been aligning itself closer a full-service carrier.
Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 708 (GA708/GIA708) was a scheduled domestic passenger flight in Indonesia by Garuda Indonesian Airways from Jakarta to Manado, with stopovers in Surabaya and Makassar. On 16 February 1967, while operating the last segment of the flight from Makassar to Manado, the Lockheed L-188C Electra airliner crashed on landing at Mapanget Airport in Manado, killing 22 out of 84 passengers and eight crew on board.
Sky Aviation was a regional airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. It started service in 2010 and suspended operation in 2014.
PT Batik Air Indonesia, operating as Batik Air, is an Indonesian scheduled airline headquartered at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta. Established in 2012 as the full-service division of the Lion Air Group, Batik Air conducted its inaugural flight on May 3, 2013, connecting Jakarta with Manado and Yogyakarta. The airline offers premium services and has been recognized as a 3-Star Airline by Skytrax.
NAM Air is an Indonesian regional airline based at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia. The airline was founded on 26 September 2013, and operates as regional feeder subsidiary for Sriwijaya Air. The airline serves smaller markets not targeted by its parent company.
I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, also known as Denpasar International Airport, is the main international airport of Bali, Indonesia. Located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from Downtown Denpasar, it serves the Denpasar metropolitan area and the whole island of Bali. Ngurah Rai is the second busiest airport in Indonesia after Soekarno-Hatta. Ngurah Rai is one of the most popular island destinations hubs in Asia. In 2018, the airport served 23,779,178 passengers. The new upgrades of Ngurah Rai have increased the popularity of Bali and made it one of the best airports in Asia and more known worldwide. The airport has category IX and is capable of serving wide-body aircraft including the Boeing 747-8 and Airbus A380.
Super Air Jet is an Indonesian ultra low-cost airline based in Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. The airline was founded in March 2021 and commenced operations on 6 August 2021.