Maximum Efficiency On Long-Haul Routes

July 1, 2011 — Garuda Indonesia, the national carrier of Indonesia, has signed a new firm order for four A330-300s. The airline has chosen the latest 235 tonne maximum take-off weight variant for long-haul services to all destinations to the Middle East, Asia and Pacific from its hubs in Jakarta and Denpasar. The airline will furthermore convert three previously ordered A330-200s into -300 versions. The agreement was signed in the presence of French Prime Minister François Fillon and His Excellency Hatta Rajasa, Coordinating Minister for Economy of Indonesia.

The new aircraft will join a fleet of seven leased A330-200s and six A330-300s already in service with the airline. This purchase agreement follows an order for six A330-200s signed in July 2010 and will increase the total A330 fleet of Garuda to 23 aircraft. The airline has recently committed to 25 A320s both standard and NEO for its low cost subsidiary Citilink.

“Over the last 15 year, thanks to our A330 Family aircraft, we have benefited from the lowest seat mile cost, true long range capability and proven reliability while our passenger enjoyed very high level of comfort. It is a natural choice for us to continue our successful operations with the A330 Family of Airbus,” said Emirsyah Satar, President & CEO, Garuda Indonesia.

“We are delighted that our relationship with our long-lasting customer, Garuda Indonesia, has been reinforced so strongly in recent weeks. The airline has chosen to become a new operator of our benchmark single aisle A320 Family and will expand its operations with the world’s most efficient widebody aircraft in service today, the A330. These new and repeated orders are a clear vote of confidence,” explained John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus.

The twin engine A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,100 orders for the various versions of the aircraft and more than 780 A330s are currently flying with close to 120 customers and operators worldwide. The fleet has accumulated over 17 million flight hours in over 4 million flights and shows a dispatch reliability of 99.6 percent.

Aircraft To Be Operated By Low Cost Unit Citilink

June 21, 2011 — Garuda Indonesia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for the purchase of 25 A320 Family aircraft, making the airline a new customer for the Airbus single aisle product line. The MOU covers 15 standard A320s followed by 10 A320neo aircraft for operation by the carrier’s domestic low cost unit Citilink, replacing its existing 737 fleet.

“The A320 will be a new addition to the Garuda family and has been selected after a very thorough and lengthy evaluation process,” said Emirsyah Satar, President & CEO Garuda Indonesia. “The combination of comfort for passengers, proven reliability for high frequency services and low operating costs made the A320 the clear favourite to enable Citilink to develop its full potential in the competitive low cost market.”

“This announcement marks a new milestone in our long relationship with Garuda Indonesia,” said John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer, Customers, Airbus. “The A320 will enable Citilink to develop profitably its share of the fast-growing Indonesian market, benefitting from the lowest operating costs available today – which are about to get even lower with the arrival of the A320neo.”

Incorporating new engines and large wing tip devices called sharklets, the A320 neo will deliver fuel savings of 15 percent and additional range capability of 500 nautical miles (950 kilometers), or the ability to carry two tonnes more payload at a given range. For the environment, the fuel savings translate into some 3,600 tonnes less CO2 per aircraft per year. In addition, the A320neo will provide a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise.

The A320 Family (A318, A319, A320 and A321) is recognised as the benchmark single-aisle aircraft family. Over 7,000 A320 Family aircraft have already been ordered and more than 4,700 delivered to more than 330 customers and operators worldwide. The A320neo will have over 95% airframe commonality with the existing models, enabling it to fit seamlessly into existing A320 Family fleets. The new engines types offered on the A320neo are CFM International’s LEAP-X and Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G.