Garuda Indonesia is to offer the only return, non-stop flights between the UK and Indonesia.

The new service will operate from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to London Heathrow from October 31st.

The new return leg of the Indonesian flag carrier’s existing Heathrow to Jakarta service, will be the only non-stop flight to fly from Jakarta to London and will mean cutting out the previous stopover at Singapore Changi Airport.

It will also make Garuda Indonesia the only airline operating non-stop flights on the route both inbound and outbound.

Boydike Kussudiarso, general manager UK & Ireland, said: “Operating non-stop flights from Jakarta to London has been a significant goal of ours for many years, even more so since the new Terminal 3 at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport – which opened just last year – became our home this May.

“The new service will mean that we can offer the only non-stop links between the UK and Indonesia, making us a desirable airline for business and leisure travellers alike travelling between the two countries.”

The announcement also coincides with a new schedule that will see the previous Sunday outbound service rescheduled to Thursday.

Non-stop flights will continue to operate three times per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, enabling better connections for UK passengers travelling onwards from Jakarta to domestic Indonesian destinations including Surabaya, Medan, Jogyakarta, Makassar, Labuan Bajo and Garuda Indonesia’s secondary hub Denpasar, Bali.

Singapore will still remain well connected with up to ten flights per day from Jakarta.