Garuda Indonesia's planned resumption of its Jakarta-London Heathrow service is part of the airline’s commitment to strengthen its international network, and to tap growing tourism from the UK.
The carrier will resume thrice-weekly service on the route using dual class Boeing 777-300ERs from 13 December, less than two months after it suspended the route on 28 October. The change comes under the leadership of new chief executive Ari Askhara, who replaced Pahala Mansury on 12 September.
It is optimistic that the growing number of tourists from England to Indonesia can support the development of the route, especially coupled with the its extensive Southeast Asian network. Tourist numbers from England to Indonesia, especially through Bali, are the fourth highest after China, Australia and India. In the first nine months of the year, 210,062 visits were recorded, up 9.3% from a year ago.
Askhara adds that the Jakarta-London route will also help Garuda tap the growing Australia-Europe market.
“This is certainly a potential market for Garuda, considering we currently connect Jakarta to three major Australian destinations – Melbourne, Sydney and Perth,” he says.
FlightGlobal schedules data shows that Garuda will be the only operator on the Jakarta-London route, but it will compete with a number of other Asian carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways and Cathay Pacific for a slice of the Kangaroo route.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
