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.
Kuwait International Airport is an international airport located in the Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait, 15.5 kilometers (9.6 mi) south of the centre of Kuwait City, spread over an area of 37.7 square kilometres (14.6 sq mi). It serves as the primary hub for Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways. A portion of the airport complex is designated as Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, which contains the headquarters of the Kuwait Air Force, as well as the Kuwait Air Force Museum.
Heydar Aliyev International Airport is one of the seven international airports serving Azerbaijan. Heydar Aliyev International Airport is the busiest airport both in Azerbaijan and in the South Caucasus as well as one of the busiest in the post-Soviet countries. Formerly, it was called Bina International Airport, after a suburb of the Azerbaijani capital Baku.
King Abdulaziz International Airport, is a major international airport serving the cities of Jeddah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia, located 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of Jeddah and covering an area of 105 square kilometres (41 sq mi). The airport is the busiest in the kingdom and the third-largest by land area. It is also one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. Opened in 1981, it was built to replace the now-demolished Kandara Airport and is named after the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz.
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.
İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport is an international airport serving İzmir and most of the surrounding province in Turkey. It is named after former Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes.
Air Cairo is a hybrid airline based in Cairo, Egypt. The airline is part owned by Egyptair. Air Cairo operates scheduled flights to the Middle East and Europe and also operates charter flights to Egypt from Europe on behalf of tour operators. Its bases are Cairo International Airport, Sharm El Sheikh International Airport and Hurghada International Airport with the company head office located in the Sheraton Heliopolis Zone.
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.
Antalya Airport is a major international airport located 13 km (8.1 mi) northeast of the city centre of Antalya, Turkey. It is a major destination during the European summer leisure season due to its location at the country's Mediterranean coast. It handled 35,538,387 passengers in 2023, making it the third-busiest airport in Turkey, and one of the busiest airports in the Middle East. The airport has two international terminals and one domestic terminal. Antalya is one of the major airports in southwestern Turkey, the others being Bodrum and Dalaman. Among the top 50 busiest airports in the world by passenger numbers in 2021, Antalya saw the highest growth in passenger numbers at 125.8%. The airport's passenger numbers that year were among very few international airports to reach a level which matched or exceeded a normal operational year in the 2010s decade.
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 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.
Hurghada International Airport is the international airport of Hurghada in Egypt. It is located inland, 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of El Dahar, the city centre of Hurghada. It is the second busiest airport in Egypt after Cairo International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the Middle East and an important destination for leisure flights mainly from Europe.
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.
Air Senegal is the flag carrier of the Republic of Senegal. Created in 2016, it is state owned through investment arm Caisse des Dépots et Consignation du Sénégal. It is based at Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, Senegal.
T'way Air Co., Ltd., formerly Hansung Airlines, is a South Korean low-cost airline based in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. It operates scheduled domestic, regional and long-haul flights from its two bases at Gimpo and Incheon.
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.
JetSmart Airlines S.A., styled as JetSMART, is an Argentine airline owned by ultra low-cost carrier JetSmart, itself owned by Indigo Partners, a firm that also has stakes in US-based Frontier Airlines, Mexico-based Volaris, and Hungary-based Wizz Air. The airline uses the branding and corporate identity of JetSmart, its parent company, and operates a fleet of Airbus A320-200 aircraft with a base at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires. Its aircraft are registered in Argentina.