Garuda Indonesia (GA, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) is considering acquiring STOL-capable (Short Take-off/Landing) aircraft as it seeks to expand its coverage to airfield's whose runways are restricted to 1,200m at most.

According to Bisnis news, President Director of PT Garuda Indonesia, Arif Wibowo, told a press conference last week that government had tasked the carrier with carrying out market research to see whether or not services to remote communities could be commercially viable.

Wibowo said that analysis had shown there to be at least 76 such airfields around Indonesia presenting a total market catchment of 2.5-4 million potential passengers per annum. Of those seventy-six, sixty would require the STOL aircraft, he said.

According to the ch-aviation aircraft database, the smallest aircraft currently in service with Garuda are the ATR72-600 and the CRJ1000.

Intra-regional flights in Indonesia are generally carried out by smaller operators such as Air Born, Airfast Indonesia, Aviastar Mandiri, and Trigana Air Service which use DHC-6-300/400 equipment. However, regional governments are often required to provide financial assistance given the thinness and seasonality of the routes.