Having opted to order another 11 Airbus A330-300s, Garuda Indonesia also plans to acquire turboprops to serve low-density routes in eastern Indonesia.
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| © Airbus Garuda Indonesia plan to compliment their Airbus order with turboprop craft |
The carrier is likely to assess either the ATR 72 or Bombardier Q400 aircraft for the requirement, Garuda president and chief executive Emirsyah Satar says.
"We'll be operating [the aircraft], but the question is which entity," he says. "Will there be a separate branding or will it be part of Garuda?"
Destinations that the carrier is looking at include Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua. "We want to look at the market first and see that there is a demand," the carrier states.
Garuda does not operate any turboprop aircraft, while its low-cost subsidiary Citilink is phasing out its Boeing 737 classics and switching to an all-Airbus A320 fleet.
Indonesian carrier Lion Air already has a subsidiary, Wings Air, which uses ATRs.
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| © ATR The ATR 72 will be considered by Garuda for use in its fleet |
Garuda's additional A330s are due to arrive between 2013 and 2017, fitted with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines. The carrier will operate them in two-class configuration from Jakarta and Denpasar to destinations in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific, says Airbus.
The order, Garuda's third for the A330 since 2010, is in line with the Indonesian flag carrier's plans to grow its fleet to 194 aircraft by 2015. This year Garuda will take delivery of 21 aircraft - four Boeing 737-800s, two A330-300s, 10 A320s and five Bombardier CRJ1000 regional jets - in an expansion of its fleet to 105.
Source: Flight International
