The history of Garuda Indonesia is intertwined with that of the nation and the struggle for independence. G aruda Indonesia’s first flight began in 1949. The first aircraft is Dakota DC-3. By the end of 1950, Garuda had 38 aircraft – 22 DC3s, eight Catalina seaplanes and eight Convair 240s. In 1953, the fleet grew to 46 with the addition of eight Convair 340s, and in 1954 fourteen De Havilland Herons were added. The Catalina flying boats were taken out of service in 1955. Garuda Indonesia commenced passenger service to Bali in 1951 using Douglas Dakota DC-3 aircraft. The first Denpasar-Sydney service on Garuda Indonesia was in 1969 using Douglas DC-8 aircraft.

Over the years, Bali has been consistently voted “The Best Island in the World”, and the airline has played an integral role in developing Bali as an international tourist destination. In 1965, Garuda Indonesia was the first airline from South East Asia to offer intercontinental jet service from Jakarta to Amsterdam via Colombo, Bombay, Rome, and Prague. The flight was operated b the technologically advanced Convair 990A aircraft. The four-engine jet was the first commercial airliner to be equipped with turbofan engines. The Convair 990A still holds the record as the world’s fastest sub-sonic civil airliner.

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