For Garuda Indonesia, the occasion signifies an important moment in history as its echoes the airline's first flight from Indonesia to Japan on 13 March 1962 which departed from the old Kemayoran Airport Jakarta for Haneda via Hong Kong, using a Lockheed L-118 Electra.
The Jakarta - Haneda daily flight schedule departs from Jakarta at 13.05 (Local Time) and arrives in Haneda at 22.35 (Local Time). On the return flight, GA 875 departs from Haneda at 00.30 (Local Time) and arrives in Jakarta at 06.00 WIB. To serve the Jakarta-Haneda direct service, Garuda Indonesia operates the newest Airbus A330-300 series that features a two class layout; business class with a seat capacity of 36 passengers and economy class for 215 passengers.
Garuda Indonesia President & CEO, Emirsyah Satar said that the reinstatement of the Jakarta - Haneda service is part of Garuda Indonesia's strategic effort to broaden its services to Japan and beyond. "The service allows Garuda Indonesia passengers to continue their journey to other cities in Japan with connecting ANA flights, or eventually to the United States with codeshare Delta Air Lines flights," said Emir
"Japan is very important to Garuda Indonesia and the people of Japan has always been a potential market. For more than 50 years, Garuda Indonesia has shown its support towards the diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Japan - especially in increasing economic, tourism and social activities between the two countries," added Emirsyah Satar.
With the opening of the Jakarta - Haneda direct service, Garuda Indonesia currently serves 39 weekly flights to Japan, including the Jakarta - Osaka (Kansai), Denpasar - Osaka (Kansai), Jakarta - Tokyo (Narita), Denpasar - Tokyo (Narita), Denpasar - Tokyo (Haneda), and Jakarta - Tokyo (Haneda).
Through the codeshare agreement with All Nippon Airways, Garuda Indonesia passengers will be able to fly with ANA to various large cities in Japan, such as Fukuoka, Saporro and Okinawa.
In addition, the opening of the Jakarta - Haneda service will offer Garuda Indonesia passengers the choice to continue their journey to Los Angeles and Seattle with Garuda Indonesia and Delta Airlines codesharing flights.
The launching of the Jakarta - Haneda direct service is part of the airline's "network" expansion program, especially in the international sector, following Garuda Indonesia's official entry into the "SkyTeam" global alliance.
As a SkyTeam member, Garuda Indonesia can now expand its service network to 1,064 destination cities in 178 countries that are served by SkyTeam member airlines, which constitutes more than 90% of the world's air traffic, with up to 15 thousand flights per day.
In line with Garuda Indonesia's continuous expansion through the airline's "Quantum Leap 2011-2015" long-term program, in 2014, Garuda Indonesia plans to purchase as many as 27 new airplanes, consisting of two (2) B777-300, four (4) A330, twelve (12) B738, three (3) CRJ, and six (6) ATR 72-600.
About PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk.
Presenting a new level of service excellence in air travel, Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of Indonesia, seamlessly connects more than 60 destinations worldwide to not only one of the largest economies in Southeast Asia, but also an array of exotic locations in the beautiful archipelago of Indonesia all at once. With close to 600 daily flights and a fleet of around 140 aircraft (the average age of which is less than 6 years old), Garuda Indonesia proudly serves its passengers with the award-winning "Garuda Indonesia Experience" service, which highlights Indonesia's warm hospitality and rich diverse culture.
The airline continuously strives, through its ongoing transformation program, to provide better and more convenient services with one of the youngest fleets in the sky, which should grow to around 194 aircraft by 2015. The progress of Garuda Indonesia's Quantum Leap program towards becoming one of the best airlines in the world, can be seen from its achievement to rank as the 8th best airline in the world in the 2013 SkyTrax airline ranking (http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2013/Airline2013.htm), and its winning the prestigious World's Best Economy Class award from SkyTrax in 2013. (http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2013/yclass.htm). Garuda Indonesia was also named "Best in Region: Asia and Australasia" at the global Passengers Choice Awards 2013.
In March 2014, Garuda Indonesia joined SkyTeam, the global airline alliance with 20 members, providing access to an extensive global network with over 15,700 daily flights to 1,064 destinations in 178 countries.
For further information, please visit www.garuda-indonesia.com, Twitter: @IndonesiaGaruda, youtube.com/GarudaIndonesia1949 or facebook.com/PT.GarudaIndonesia.
Contact:
Garuda Indonesia
Pujobroto
VP Corporate Communications
Tel: +62 21 2560 1068
E-mail: pujobroto@garuda-indonesia.com
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
