Garuda to receive two Bombardier aircraft in October
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Business | Fri, October 05 2012, 7:26 PM
National carrier Garuda Indonesia will take delivery of two CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft from Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace in October, an executive says.
The aircraft will be used to serve short-range domestic routes as part of its business expansion in remote areas in eastern Indonesia traditionally served by ailing PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines.
“We will connect five big cities in the country: Medan [North Sumatra], Balikpapan [East Kalimantan], Makassar [South Sulawesi], Denpasar [Bali] and Jakarta to boost connectivity,” Garuda Indonesia vice president for western Indonesia Suranto said in Yogyakarta on Friday.
“We now have 94 aircraft and we aim to increase that to 195 by 2015. The procurement will be carried out gradually,” he continued, adding that the company needed up to Rp 37.6 trillion (US$3.9 billion) to meet the procurement target," he added.
In June, PT GMF AeroAsia, a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia, signed a letter of intent with Bombardier to become the first maintenance and repair center in Asia-Pacific for the Canadian-based aircraft manufacturer. (swd)
