Garuda Indonesia, an Indonesia-based airline, will be offering a service from London Gatwick Airport in the UK.
The airline is offering non-stop flights from London to Jakarta, Indonesia, six times per week. The airline will be operating Boeing 777-300 Extended Range aircraft on the route, which can carry up to 300 passengers.
The UK prime minister, David Cameron, on welcoming the airline to the country, said, ‘We want to link Britain up with the world’s fastest growing economies. And good air links are vital to achieving that. This new route from London to Jakarta is good for British business and will help them to compete in the global race.’
The airline president and chief executive officer, Emirsyah Satar, said, ‘This flight will be more convenient since it will be serving passengers – non-stop – from Jakarta to London with the brand new B777-300ER, which will be equipped with Wi-Fi and a chef on board for First Class passengers.
We chose Gatwick, London as the UK airport because of its convenience and good network and accessibility options into Europe and beyond.’
The chief executive officer of Gatwick Airport, Stewart Wingate, said, ‘We are delighted that Garuda Indonesia has chosen Gatwick to operate this vital direct route. Despite being a crucial high growth business market for the UK, Indonesia has been underserved with no direct routes to the region from the UK – until now. Jakarta is also a major hub airport for South East Asia, giving UK passengers even more access and choice to the region.
Whilst the UK is one of the best-connected countries in the world, we do need more direct links to key markets such as Indonesia. At Gatwick, we’re playing our part by investing in the airport and, with our airlines, opening new routes to growing economies such as China, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam and now Indonesia. We look forward to welcoming Garuda Indonesia later this year.’
The new direct service to Jakarta from London is likely to open up other routes from South East Asia to Europe. The airline will also be offering new routes to Auckland and Brisbane.
