Garuda Indonesia confirms third Airbus

Garuda Indonesia has placed a firm order with Airbus for 11 more A330-300 widebody aircraft. The contract was signed in Jakarta by Emirsyah Satar, president, Garuda Indonesia and Tom Williams, executive vice president, programmes, Airbus. The deal was signed in the presence of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and visiting British prime minister David Cameron. In Indonesia Cameron said the deal was “good news for the UK aerospace industry” and “a vote of confidence in our manufacturing base”. The order is the third to be placed by Garuda Indonesia for the A330 since July 2010, with the carrier now having a total of 21 aircraft on firm order for future delivery. All the aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, which are produced in the UK. Garuda Indonesia has chosen the latest extended range 235 tonne maximum take-off weight variant of the A330-300, and will operate them in a two class layout on services from its hubs in Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) to destinations in Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific. “The A330 has proven to be a key element in the success of the revitalised Garuda Indonesia,” said Satar. “The low seat mile cost and high passenger appeal make the aircraft a perfect fit for our fleet and a firm favourite with our passengers.” Garuda Indonesia currently operates 14 A330 aircraft, comprising eight A330-200s and six A330-300s.