anna.aero was delighted to be invited by Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to the ceremony of Garuda Indonesia’s inaugural non-stop flight from Jakarta on 30 May. Following its entry into SkyTeam on 5 March, Garuda decided to expand its presence at Amsterdam, making the Dutch gateway its hub for Europe and beyond. Historically, the flag carrier has been serving Amsterdam since 1963, with flights operated via Dubai, as well as more recently via Abu Dhabi. Commenting on the route launch, Emirsyah Satar, CEO, Garuda, said: “Following Garuda’s official joining of the SkyTeam, the opportunities presented by the established SkyTeam hub at Amsterdam are too significant to pass up, as it will be an alternative gateway for passengers who wish to travel beyond Europe. They will be able to choose from 1,064 destinations in 178 countries served by the SkyTeam member airlines.”

Last Friday, the airline inaugurated the 11,352-kilometre sector from #1 most populous city in Southeast Asia (having a population of 9.6 million) that will be operated five times weekly, utilising its brand new 314-seat 777-300. The flight will depart from Jakarta at 00:55 local time and arrive in Amsterdam at 09:40. There is no direct competition on this airport pair, however KLM serves this route with daily flights via Kuala Lumpur. In addition, starting 8 September, Garuda will extend this service to London Gatwick, inaugurating the first ever link between Jakarta and the UK airport.