Following its entrance into the SkyTeam global airline alliance on March 5th, Garuda Indonesia is making a number of changes in its plans to reflect its commitment to the alliance and allow its customers to make maximum use of the many benefits it brings.

The first major change is that Garuda Indonesia has decided to make Amsterdam, the Netherlands, its hub for Europe and beyond.

Garuda Indonesia has been flying to Amsterdam since 1963.

In order to make this hub effective and more convenient for its customers, the airline will start flying direct and non-stop between Jakarta and Amsterdam starting May 30th 2014, using its brand new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which is capable of flying up to 14,500 kilometers and 15 hours non-stop.

Currently, Garuda Indonesia serves the Jakarta - Amsterdam flight with one stopover in Abu Dhabi with an Airbus A330 aircraft.

This product will be the first-ever commercial non-stop flight between Indonesia and the Netherlands and is sure to be the most convenient and comfortable way for anyone flying between the two countries.

The new service will shorten passengers’ travel time from Jakarta to Amsterdam and vice versa to less than 14 hours, while also providing the quickest connection not only between Indonesia and the Netherlands, but also the Southeast Asia region and Europe.

The inauguration of the Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop service is inline with the airline’s effort to offer seamless connectivity on either end to over 60 destinations in Indonesia and Australasia as well as all major destinations is Europe and beyond through the combined extensive networks of Garuda Indonesia and the SkyTeam member airlines.

Garuda Indonesia president Emirsyah Satar, commented that the initial Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop service is also aligned with Garuda’s entry into the
SkyTeam global alliance.

“Following Garuda’s official joining of 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 SkyTeam member airlines,” he explained.

With the commencement of the Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop flight, Garuda Indonesia will leave Abu Dhabi and optimise its code share agreement with Etihad Airways, following the codeshare agreement with the United Arab Emirates carrier signed in October 2011.

A consequence of this major move is that Garuda’s earlier plan to start a direct flight to London this year will undergo a slight change.

London will be served through the Amsterdam hub as well, starting 8 September 2014. However, true to its commitment to operate its own flight to London, this destination will not be offered through one of Garuda’s SkyTeam partners, but will use the same Garuda Boeing 777 aircraft that will fly to Amsterdam.

Garuda Indonesia will reinstate its service to the capital city of England connected to the Jakarta – Amsterdam non-stop flight.

Therefore, starting on September 8th, the Jakarta – Amsterdam – Jakarta flight will change to become Jakarta – Amsterdam – London – Amsterdam – Jakarta.

This will provide added convenience for the many Indonesians who wish to visit multiple cities in Europe during their trip.

Due to the peak season in the summer and this recent change in plans, Garuda Indonesia has not yet been able to get the slots for landing and take-off at London Gatwick Airport for these revised timings.

Therefore, Garuda Indonesia has decided to postpone its flights from and to London from May 2014 until September 2014, in order for the airlines to offer passengers the ideal flight schedule from Amsterdam to London.