Garuda Delays 777
 

Garuda Indonesia delayed delivery of 10 Boeing 777-300ERs, scaled back its Jakarta-Amsterdam service and put on hold plans to expand its European presence. At the same time, the airline says it will grow its intra-Asia service

The first of 10 777-300ERs Garuda has on order was due to arrive in 2012, but now first deliveries are expected in 2013, says the carrier’s top spokesman. He said he was unable to be more specific.

The airline also planned to launch new service to Europe, but that has been delayed as well. “We have to wait and see what developments unfold in Europe,” says the spokesman, referring to Europe’s poor economic situation.

Garuda’s seven-times-weekly Jakarta-Dubai-Amsterdam service, operated with Airbus A330s, will be reduced to four flights a week, effective March 1.

Garuda had been planning to launch services to London Heathrow, Frankfurt and Rome, but this initiative has now been delayed indefinitely, according to the spokesman.

But while Garuda is reducing its exposure to Europe, it is expanding its services within Asia.

The spokesman says the airline is launching a five-times-weekly Denpasar-Tokyo Haneda service on April 27 to complement its Denpasar-Tokyo Narita service. He also says that Garuda will start a daily service from Jakarta to Taipei on May 19 and that in February it is increasing its Jakarta-Kuala Lumpur service to three times a day from twice daily.

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