GARUDA INDONESIA PUSHING BRITAIN TO BALI
Indonesia’s national airline has launched its first and only non-stop service connecting the UK to Indonesia
Garuda began its service from London to Jakarta, operating from their new UK base at Terminal 3 of London’s Heathrow Airport. This new service will be the first and only non-stop flight to connect the UK and Indonesia and it began on 31st March 2016.
As part of the move, the Indonesian flag carrier will increase its service frequency to five times per week, departing every day except Mondays and Fridays. It will no longer stopover at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and switched from Gatwick as its UK base. The service will cater to business travellers to Jakarta and leisure travelers stopping over on their way to the country’s main tourist locations, such as Bali. However return flights to the UK will come via a short refueling stop in Singapore.
GARUDA MOVED AIRPORTS
The move to Heathrow is part of Garuda’s strategy to strengthen its presence in Europe and meet its commitment as the national flag carrier, to connect Indonesia to the world. This change will mean airline passengers can take full advantage of the SkyTeam facilities available at Heathrow, which include streamlined connections from regional UK and Irish airports.
The first cabin crew and pilots for new service from London to Jakarta.
Jubi Prasetyo, General Manager UK & Ireland said: “Making the move to Heathrow Airport has been an ambition of ours since joining SkyTeam in March 2014. Heathrow’s pivotal role in servicing the alliance’s 1,052 destinations makes it an ideal departure airport for our passengers. Flying non-stop direct to Jakarta means we will truly be the most efficient way to reach Indonesia from the UK.”
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “We are delighted to welcome Garuda Indonesia to Heathrow, securing a regular direct service to one of the largest growth economies in the world. As the UK’s only hub, Heathrow is able to support regular direct flights to 75 long haul destinations not served by any other UK airport. With expansion, we can bring the world to Britain’s doorstep by adding up to 40 more long haul routes to high growth markets and more than doubling the number of UK cities served. Britain will be the best connected country in the world, at the heart of the global economy.”
The non-stop route from Heathrow will use the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft in a three-class configuration. Last year the airline’s in-flight service team was awarded World’s Best Cabin Staff by Skytrax this was the second consecutive year that they won the award.
