Garuda Indonesia is the national airline of Indonesia and
currently operates as a full-service network carrier serving 33 domestic cities
within Indonesia and 26 international cities throughout Australia, South-East
Asia, East Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Australia.
It is headquartered at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
in Tangerang, near Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, and the airline also
has a hub at Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali..
It is named after the mystical giant bird Garuda of Hinduism
and Buddhist mythology. According to the sacred texts of Hinduism and Hindu
mythology, Garuda is the carrier of the God Vishn. A representation of Garuda
appears in the National Emblem of Indonesia, Garuda Pancasila.
In 2009, Garuda Indonesia was awarded the prestigious
four-star airline rating by SKYTRAX and more
recently awarded Garuda Indonesia
as the "world's most improved airline" in 2010.
From its humble beginnings in 1949, Garuda Indonesia has
transformed into Indonesia's leading carrier and continues to fly ever higher.
In 2010 Garuda Indonesia launched its new service concept - the Garuda
Indonesia Experience; a concept which aims to deliver authentic Indonesian
hospitality for all passengers.
Busy business executives will appreciate Garuda's fully
appointed executive lounges with office and relaxation facilities such as
Internet access, conference rooms, televisions and comfortable chairs available
at several airports across Indonesia.
For those seeking even more freedom to conduct business
without worrying about flight times and requirements, Garuda Indonesia's new
valet service allows business class travellers to take full advantage of the
executive lounge while Garuda Indonesia's friendly valet staff handle all
check-in details on their behalf.
Garuda Indonesia's city check-in service allows passengers
to check-in up to four hours before departure at counters located in 26 cities
throughout Indonesia and in five international cities. This eliminates the need
to arrive early at the airport to wait in the queue at the check-in line.
Most Garuda Indonesia shares are owned by the Indonesian
government and the airline employs more
than 6,000 staff.
Garuda Indonesia is keen to continue on its fleet expansion
plan and add more flights while improving service performance to maintain
passenger loyalty.
Garuda president director Emirsyah Satar said at a recent press
conference that the airline would stick to its current business plan, including
offering daily flights to Shanghai and more frequent flights to Melbourne, as
the company had nearly finished adding 11 new airplanes — nine Boeing 737-800NG
narrowbody airplanes and two Airbus A330 widebody airplanes — to its fleet.
“We are now waiting for the arrival of one more Airbus A330
and two more Boeing 737-800NGs in December. We hope the new planes will not
only add to our seat capacity but also make our operating cost more efficient,”
he said.
Currently, Garuda offers 402 flights a day, including 32
flights served by Citilink, the flag carrier’s strategic business unit focusing
on low-cost carrier business.
According to its “Quantum Leap” strategy, Garuda plans to
increase its fleet to 116 aircraft in 2014, the number of passengers it carries
to 27.6 million in 2014 from 10.3 million in 2008, and raise its operating
revenue from Rp 18.1 trillion in 2008 to Rp 57.9 trillion in 2014.
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