Garuda Indonesia Darwin Services

[Stefan Perkas]

Evening all,

Garuda Indonesia appears to be starting Jakarta - Darwin route from 29MAR09

GA708 CGK2100 - 0330+1DRW 734 247
GA709 DRW0430 - 0600CGK 734 135

[Phillippe M]

That was originally announced back in Sept for them to start in Dec this year. "Garuda pens new flight route"

But then it was pushed back to next year "Garuda delays new route plans"

Although I did hear the other week on the radio them still adversting the flights.

They have also increased the number of flights to Bali "Garuda doubles Top End flights"

Phillippe

[Phillippe M]

Garuda pulls pin on Darwin after 30 years
NIGEL ADLAM - April 16th, 2009

GARUDA Indonesia is pulling out of the Territory after nearly 30 years.

The airline's last return flight will leave Darwin for Bali tomorrow morning. The final flight will take off for Denpasar on Monday - and not return.

A thrice-weekly direct service between Darwin and Jakarta is also unlikely to go ahead. Garuda has been flying between Darwin and Denpasar since 1980 and was the only full-service carrier servicing the route.

The airline celebrated its 60th anniversary earlier this year by offering bargain fares to Bali.

AirNorth dropped its Darwin-Bali service last year after saying that the market was flooded. Australian budget outfit Jetstar will now be the only airline flying the route.

Garuda NT manager Syahrul Tahir could not be contacted last night. But the travel industry said the market was "saturated".

Garuda flew to Bali three times a week in competition to Jetstar's daily flights.

Frangipani, which sells Bali holidays to travel agencies, said the global financial crisis had nothing to do with Garuda's demise. Company boss Xana Kamitsis said: "I believe it's a much more local issue than that. "We're only a community of 120,000 and there's not enough of us to fly to Bali that often."

She said Garuda's decision to stop servicing the route came at a time when Territorians were returning to Bali "in droves".

"I go there once a month and it's packed with Territorians," she said. "But eight flights a week is still a lot.

"This decision to stop flying from Darwin will cost jobs. We need community pressure to get Garuda to stay."

Garuda is expected to lay on special flights for the Arafura Games next month.

Some people in the travel industry said Garuda had been grounded by the Federal Government.

But the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese's office said this was untrue.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/200...11_ntnews.html

[Michael Morrison]

Surely having JQ fly daily would offer more jobs than Garuda flying 3 weekly???

I can't see how Garuda can compete with their reputation and our LCC's (DJ/JQ).

[Brad Myer]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...ction=business

Indonesia's consul in Darwin says Garuda Airlines has told him it will stop flights to Denpasar by April 22.

Harbangan Napitupulu says Garuda'a general manager in Darwin told him yesterday he had been instructed to cease all flights by the airline's headquarters.

He says no airlines are immune from the effects of the global economic crisis.

"Garuda Indonesia has also been affected," he said.

"That's why the decision has been taken for their operations including Darwin."

He says Indonesian people living in the Territory are shocked and concerned over news.

"I think they will be not happy with the news, especially Indoesians who have been living in Darwin for quite sometime.

"When they go to their home town they will be, how do you call it, feel it will be difficult for them to go to Indonesia in the future."

[lloyd fox]

Now it looks like ADL is OFF and BNE is BACK ON

http://www.travelweekly.com.au/dirpl...17_04_2009.pdf

I didnt know Garuda had new A330-200'S on order-anyone know more thanks.

Lloyd

[Andi O]

According to World Airline Fleets News, the two A330--200 were NTU by the Hainan Group in China and will be leased by "Aercap"

[lloyd fox]

Thanks Andi O

Cheers Lloyd

[Phillippe M]

Budget airline to offer Bali service
REBEKAH CAVANAGH | May 20th, 2009

AN INTERNATIONAL budget carrier is set to fly to the Territory.

Indonesia AirAsia - an offshoot of Asia's biggest low-cost airline AirAsia - has said it will serve the regular flights between Bali and Darwin abandoned by Garuda Indonesia last month.

The new service will open up the door for cut-price travel for Territorians to Kuala Lumpur, and from there to the UK, Middle East, India and China.

IAA chief executive Dharmadi said his company would begin a thrice-weekly flight service between Denpasar and Darwin before the end of the year and the flights would be serviced by an Airbus A320 aircraft.

"The potential of the Darwin-Bali route is less than rewarding, but we are convinced a market can be created," he said.

The Malaysian-based long-haul flier first extended its services to Australia in 2007.

But Darwin was left off the destination list.

The new move to fly to the Top End comes after Garuda Indonesia scrapped its Darwin to Denpasar flights after nearly 30 years of flying to the NT - and just months after Territory-based airline Airnorth also stopped flying the route on January 31.

Both said they pulled out because of a decreasing number of passengers.

Australian budget airline Jetstar is the only company now offering the service.

Mr Dharmadi said IAA received an invitation from the Indonesian Department of Transportation to replace Garuda's old traffic rights.

He said the IAA already held an Australian operational certificate and met the requirements of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/200...05_ntnews.html