Ban lifted, Garuda Indonesia returns to Europe

INDONESIA's national airline, Garuda Indonesia, has taken the first step in rebuilding its long-haul international network with the launch of a new daily service from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Dubai.

This comes after the European Union lifted its ban prohibiting Indonesian carriers from operating in European airspace in July last year.

In line with the commencement of this new route, the airline has awarded a Europe-wide cargo GSA contract to European Cargo Services (ECS) to maximise the potential of its bellyhold freight capacity.

Amsterdam is the first of several major European destinations which Garuda Indonesia intends to add to its network over the next four years, including Frankfurt, London, Paris and Rome. Garuda Indonesia's re-entry into Amsterdam, after an absence of almost six years, marks a significant step forwards in the airline's global expansion strategy.

ECS won the cargo GSA contract, effective from June 2010, following an extensive tender process. It will now market the 14 tonnes of capacity available each day on Garuda's Airbus A330-200 flights ex Amsterdam Schiphol and expects to generate 5,200 tonnes of freight per annum for the airline.

In addition to the Netherlands, other major cargo generating markets for Garuda include France, Germany and Scandinavia. As well as Dubai and Jakarta, ECS will market Garuda destinations across Asia and Australasia, including Bangkok, Beijing, Darwin, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Jeddah, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne, Nagoya, Osaka, Perth, Riyadh, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo.

Said ECS director Adrien Thominet: "This is the first time we have worked with the airline and Garuda was clearly impressed by the size of our network and the strength of our sales organisation and results we have achieved for other carriers.

"Today, airlines expect their GSAs to be more proactive and to show greater commitment than before to optimise their revenue potential and to develop new market opportunities. Having a single partner in such a major market as Europe means Garuda is assured of a consistent level of focus and one team working to achieve the best results."
(Source:www.schednet.com)