Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine October 2014 | Page 176
174
History of Garuda Indonesia
GARUDA INDONESIA
AIRCRAFT THROUGH
THE AGES
Pesawat Garuda
Indonesia dari
Masa ke Masa
the time, introduced the FFCC (ForwardFacing Crew Cockpit) concept to the world.
In 1994, Garuda Indonesia began operating
the largest widebody aircraft of the 1990s,
the Boeing 747-400. Garuda Indonesia
continued to bolster its fleet throughout the
decade with the Boeing 737-300/400/500 −
all in operation since 1989 – the MD 11 in
1991 and the Airbus A330-300 in 1996.
Beginning in 2009, Garuda Indonesia
introduced in-flight entertainment facilities
to its fleet in the form of Audio Video on
Demand (AVoD) aboard its Airbus A330-200
and Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft. Each Airbus
A330-300 was equipped with AVoD and
adjustable seats by 2010.
Garuda Indonesia owes
its success as an international
airline in part to its fleet.
For its inaugural flight in 1949,
Garuda Indonesia, known as
‘Garuda Indonesian Airways’
at the time, operated the DC-3
Dakota and PBY Catalina.
The DH Heron and CV-340
joined the Garuda Indonesia
fleet in 1950, followed by
the CV-440 in 1956.
The rapid growth of Garuda Indonesia’s
fleet began with the arrival of the Lockheed
Electra in 1961. In 1963, Garuda Indonesia
became the first airline in Southeast Asia to
operate the subsonic Convair 990A jet. By
1965 Garuda Indonesia had added the DC-8
to its fleet. In 1969 the Fokker 27 and DC-9
joined the roster. Garuda Indonesia operated
its first widebody aircraft, the DC-10, in 1976.
Subsequently, in 1977, Garuda Indonesia
became the first airline to operate only jet
aircraft, with a fleet comprising the DC-8,
DC-9, DC-10 and Fokker 28.
In the 1980s, Garuda Indonesia was the
world’s biggest operator of the Fokker 28,
which had begun operation in 1971. Garuda
Indonesia also brought in more widebody
planes, namely the Boeing 747-200 in 1980
and the Airbus A300-B4 in 1982. With the
Airbus A300-B4, Wiweko Soepono, the
President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia at
To accommodate domestic and regional
short-haul markets, Garuda Indonesia began
operation of Bombardier CRJ1000 NextGen
aircraft in 2012, as the aircraft are known for
reliability, efficiency and optimal passenger
capacity.
In 2013, Garuda Indonesia became the first
airline in Indonesia to operate the Boeing
777-300ER and reintroduced its First Class
service on board. Within the new First Class
service concept Garuda Indonesia launched
its speciality ‘Chef on Board’ service,
providing passengers with the luxury
of ordering meals specially prepared by
on-board chefs. The Boeing 777-300ER
is also equipped with in-flight connectivity.
Later, in November 2013, the ATR 72-600
aircraft joined the Garuda Indonesia fleet,
allowing the airline to reach remote
destinations across the archipelago.
The turboprop aircraft introduced Garuda
Indonesia’s sub-brand ‘Explore’. At the same
time, Garuda Indonesia also introduced the
sub-brand ‘Explore Jet’ for its Bombardier
CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, which have
been in operation since October 2012.