Indonesia’s national carrier Garuda Indonesia has been recognised as the best airline in Asia and Australasia for the 2013 Passenger Choice Awards. The airline bested prominent regional carriers such as Singapore Airlines and other international favourites. Other key finalists were Qantas Airways, Air New Zealand, and Pakistan Airlines.
Garuda was also chosen in the following categories:
- “Top 5 Best Overall Passenger Experience”, along with Emirates, Etihad Airways, Virgin America, and Virgin Atlantic;
- “Top 5 Best Ground Experience”, alongside Avianca, Delta Airlines, El Al Israel Airlines, and Virgin America; and
- “Top 5 Best In-flight Publications”, with Avianca, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, and Taca International Airlines.
Garuda Indonesia currently operates a fleet of 124 planes. The company is committed to its Quantum Leap 2011–2015 programme, under which the Garuda Group aims to operate 194 aircraft by 2015. The company booked $1.73 billion in operational revenue during the first six months of 2013, an increase of 14.1 per cent compared to the corresponding period in 2012. From an operational standpoint, Garuda has also performed well. Along with its low-cost arm, Citilink, the company issued 11.9 million tickets during the first half of 2013, exceeding that in the corresponding period in 2012 by 23.96 per cent. The quantity of cargo transport also rose from 132.06 tonnes to 172.26 tonnes during the same period.
