Operating presidential flights will be a manifestation of Garuda Indonesia's role as the national flag carrier, particularly to support aviation and flight services for officially strategic agendaJakarta (ANTARA) - The government has appointed flag carrier Garuda Indonesia to serve presidential flights for President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) official visit to the ASEAN-US Summit in Washington D.C., the United States, on May 12-13, 2022.
"Operating presidential flights will be a manifestation of Garuda Indonesia's role as the national flag carrier, particularly to support aviation and flight services for officially strategic agenda," President Director of Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra noted in his statement here on Tuesday.
Setiaputra confirmed that Garuda Indonesia will operate Boeing 777-300 ER with a special presidential livery composed of a red-white cheatline, "Republik Indonesia" (Republic of Indonesia) title, and national emblem in the fuselage.
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The president director affirmed that comprehensive operational preparations and coordination with relevant stakeholders had been performed to ensure that safety, security, and comfort aspects commensurate with the presidential standard can be implemented properly during flights.
The government's continued trust in Garuda Indonesia to represent the country abroad is a driving force that will motivate the national airline, he remarked.
Garuda Indonesia will continue its positive contributions to Indonesia by providing safe and comfortable flights for anyone that the airline serves, the president director affirmed.
Setiaputra noted that President Jokowi had departed safely for Washington D.C. and is committed to ensuring all aspects relevant to the presidential flight will be properly managed until his return to Indonesia.
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"The presidential flight has departed smoothly today at 7:20 a.m. local time (UTC +7). We will continue to coordinate with relevant authorities to ensure that the presidential flight will proceed smoothly," Setiaputra noted.
Earlier, Garuda Indonesia had served President Jokowi during his official visit to Italy, the UK, and the UAE in October last year. The flight also catered to government ministers that joined the president's visit.
Presidential secretariat office head Heru Budi Hartono stated that hiring Garuda Indonesia aircraft would facilitate enforcement of health protocols on-board and allow longer flights, as the Boeing Business Jet B737-800 presidential aircraft has a shorter flight capability, thereby necessitating a stopover during the official visit.
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Translator: Sugiharto P, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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