Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine March 2019 | Page 142

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History of Garuda Indonesia
TRACING GARUDA INDONESIA’S
HISTORICAL JAPAN CONNECTION
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This month, Garuda Indonesia
is celebrating the 57 th anniversary
of its inaugural flight to Japan.
On March 13, 1962, Garuda
Indonesia (GA), then named
Garuda Indonesian Airways
(GIA), landed for the first time in
Haneda Airport, Tokyo, with a
Lockheed L-188 Electra.
At the time, the 100-passenger-
capacity aircraft was the first
commercial turboprop aircraft,
equipped with the most advanced
technology. Three senior
pilots with GIA were given
the task of leading the service:
Capt. A. Muthalib (Head of
Operations Department), Capt.
Juliman Repon (Head of Maps
Department) and Capt.
Roekanto Jokomono (Head of
Flight Supervision).
Cabin crew members donned an
army-inspired uniform in shades
of blue – the second army-
inspired uniform for
Garuda Indonesia, created
at the height of the euphoria
surrounding Indonesia’s
independence. Garuda Indonesia continues to
operate flights departing from
both Jakarta and Denpasar to
destinations in Japan.
The Jakarta–Tokyo route was
the start of a new chapter in the
history of Indonesian aviation.
It preceded other GIA services
around the world, such as
the airline’s routes to Europe,
where it covered Amsterdam,
Frankfurt, Paris and other cities. The inaugural Jakarta–Tokyo
flight in 1962 has increased
economic cooperation
and strengthened cultural
cooperation between Indonesia
and Japan. Despite the closure
of several of its services,
Garuda Indonesia plans to
reopen flights for Jakarta–
Nagoya on March 23, 2019, which
will be served four times weekly
on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and
Sunday. The routes will utilise
the airline’s dual-class Airbus
A330, comprising Economy
and Business classes.
In the 1990s, Garuda Indonesia
expanded its Japan network.
Aside from Tokyo, the airline
began connecting Indonesia
with other cities, namely
Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya.
At the same time, in addition
to Jakarta, Garuda Indonesia
also increased its destinations
by opening direct flights from
Japan to Denpasar; the city was
selected due to Bali being a
favorite holiday destination for
the Japanese market. To this day,
From business and tourism
perspectives, Nagoya is a potential
market for Garuda Indonesia.
The reopening of this route
emphasises the airline’s
commitment to expanding its
international network, especially
through the expansion of its
flight capacity and the utilisation
of Garuda Indonesia’s aircraft
on prospective routes.
Tepat pada bulan ini,
tertanggal 13 Maret 1962
merupakan tahun ke-57
penerbangan Garuda Indonesia
(GA) ke Jepang. Saat itu,
Garuda Indonesia yang masih
bernama “Garuda Indonesian
Airways” (GIA) untuk pertama
kalinya mendarat di Bandar
Udara Haneda, Tokyo, Jepang,
dengan pesawat Lockheed
L-188 Electra.
Pesawat dengan kapasitas
100 penumpang tersebut
merupakan pesawat turboprop
komersial pertama yang
memiliki teknologi canggih
di masa itu. Pesawat GIA ini
diterbangkan oleh tiga pilot
senior, yaitu Capt. A. Muthalib
(Head of Operations