"Out of 18 planes, five would be delivered this year from October to December 2012," the company`s president director, Emirsyah Satar, told newsmen after signing the cooperation agreement for the purchase of the airplanes with Bombardier Aerospace President and COO Guy Hachey on the sidelines of Singapore Airshow 2012 here on Wednesday.
He said the purchase was done as part of the company`s expansion and development program, especially for domestic and short-haul regional service.
He said the aircraft would be used to serve domestic and regional destinations through its hubs in Makassar, Medan and Balikpapan by of the end of this year.
This will strengthen Garuda`s networks, he added.
"Apart from that, the planes would also increase Garuda`s efficiency because the planes could economize the use of fuel by up to 30 percent," he said.
Guy Hachey added that Bombardier was pleased by the purchase and supported the cooperation with Garuda.
"CRJ1000 NextGen is one of Bombardier`s products which is reliable, environment friendly and efficient," he said.
Bombardier is a Canadian company that operates in the production of transportation equipment and instruments for commercial aircraft and jets, as well as other equipment.
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft is one of the business units of Bombardier Inc., a manufacturer of aircraft carrying 145 passengers, while offering the highest operational effectiveness in its class.
Bombardier aircraft include CRJ NextGen family, NextGen Q400, and their C-series jets. The aircraft comes with a 100 to 149 seat capacity and are single-isle planes.
CRJ 1000 NextGen, offered since 2010, is known for its reliability, efficient operational costs, low fuel consumption and optimal passenger capacity.
(T.E008/H-YH/INE/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
