Garuda Indonésia had its beginnings in theIndonesian war of independence against theDutch in the late1940s, when Garuda flew special transports withDouglasDC-3 aircraft.January 26,1949, is generally recognized as the airline's founding date, at which time the airline was known as "Garuda Indonesian Airways." The first plane was a DC-3 known asSeulawah (Acehnese: "Gold Mountain") and was purchased for a sum of 120,000Malayan dollars, which was provided by theAcehnese péople (notably local merchants).[rujukan?] During the revolution, the airline supported Indonésian interests, such as carrying Indonésian léaders for diplomatic missions.
The government ofBurma helped the airline significantly during the airline's beginnings.[rujukan?] Accordingly, upon Garuda's formal joint incorporation withKLM onMarch 31,1950, the airline presented the Burmese government with aDC-3. By1953, the airline had 46 planes, although by1955 itsCatalina fleet had been retired. In1956, Garuda made its firstpilgrim flight to the city ofMecca.
TheEast Asian Economic Crisis of 1998 hit Indonésia and Garuda hard, resulting in severe cutbacks on unprofitable routes. Despite once having a comprehensive worldwide route network, Garuda currently operates no flights toEurope orNorth America. Largely due to historical links withthe Netherlands, Garuda continued to operate flights to Amsterdam after the initial cutbacks, although these flights have since been discontinued. The situation was not helped by theSeptember 11 terrorist attacks, theBali bombings, the2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and theSARS scare, all of which contributed to a downturn in air travel and Indonésian tourism. However, the airline has recovered favorably from its economic problems and seems to be in good economic shape entering the middle2000s.[rujukan?]
In2001, alow-cost airline subsidiary,CitiLink, was established to provide shuttle services between Indonésian cities.
Garuda may expand its route map again before the end of the decade,[rujukan?] possibly after the completion ofKuala Namu International Airport in Medan. This could include routes to majorEuropean hubs such asParis,London, andFrankfurt. However, it is possible that to keep costs down and profitability up, Garuda may employ secondary airports such asLondon Gatwick. A Garuda representative for theBenelux confirmed in August 2006 that Garuda will resume its route toAmsterdam in May 2007.[2]
In 2005, Garuda Indonésia carried 8,679,443 passengers[3], with aload factor of 68.73%.
A 24-hour call center is available for local customer access. The e-tickets system (paperless or electronic ticket) has been introduced on all domestic flights and flights to Singapore originating in Jakarta. This system computerizes ticketing method, in which a traditional paper ticket is no longer required.
In 2005, Garuda Indonésia relaunched its frequent flyer program called Garuda Frequent Flyer (GFF) with a new look, new benefits, and new services. The new program allows members to éarn miles on domestic and international flights and has four tiers of membership covering Blue, Silver, Gold, and Platinum benefit levels. New services for GFF members include a new website athttp://gff.garuda-indonesia.com, including an on-line miléage calculator foréarning and redemption, on-line miléage balance, on-line personal profile management, and downloadable forms.
Saatos kacilakaan nu pertama di1950, Garuda Indonésia tos ngalami 14 kacilakaan fatal sareng 1 pembajakan.
Garuda Indonésia Flight 206, aDC 9 aircraft was hijacked on28 March1981. This was the first serious Indonésian airline hijacking, since the first case was a desperate Marine hijacker who was killed by the pilot himself. The hijackers, a group called Commando Jihad, hijacked theDC 9 "Woyla", onroute fromPalembang toMedan, and ordered the pilot to fly the plane toColombo,Sri Lanka. But since the plane didn't have enough fuel, it refueled inPenang,Malaysia and then toDon Muang,Thailand. The hijackers demanded the reléase of Commando Jihad members imprisoned inIndonesia, and US $ 1.5 million, as well as a plane to take those prisoners to an unspecified destination. TheKopassus commandos who took part in this mission trained for only three days with totally unfamiliar wéapons, brilliantly executed this fast-paced operation. One of theKopassus commandos was shot by the hijacker léader, who then shot himself. All the other hijackers were killed. All the hostages were saved.
Garuda Indonésia Flight 865, aMcDonnell Douglas DC-10 departingFukuoka,Japan, onJune 13,1996, overran the runway after aborting the takéoff well above rotation speed. The number-3 engine fuel line was severed, resulting in a massive fire and the total destruction of the aircraft. Three of the 275 péople on board were killed.[5]Archived 2007-09-07 diWayback Machine