Garuda Indonesia (GA, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) took delivery of its maiden A330-900, PK-GHE (msn 1947) on November 16, 2019, Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac) said in a press release.
The aircraft flew directly from Toulouse Blagnac to Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta on delivery, landing on the morning of November 17, 2019, local time, Radarbox24 ADS-B data shows.
Garuda Indonesia's A330-900 is configured for 301 passengers with 24 business class seats and 277 in economy. It is the first of fourteen aircraft of the type ordered by the Indonesian flag carrier. A further two A330-900s are due to join the fleet of LCC subsidiary Citilink (QG, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta).
PK-GHE is the first of six A330-900neo aircraft that Garuda has sold to and leased back from CDB Aviation. According to the lessor, two more aircraft covered by the deal are expected to be delivered this year with the next three due in 2020.
The airline plans to use the aircraft to launch new ultra-long-haul routes, including to new destinations in Europe. According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Garuda Indonesia plans to debut the A330-900 in revenue service on December 11, 2019, flying it from Jakarta to Denpasar and then to Amsterdam Schiphol via Medan Kuala Namu.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Garuda's existing fleet includes seven A330-200s, seventeen A330-300s, seventy-three B737-800s, ten B777-300(ER)s, eighteen CRJ1000ERs, and thirteen ATR72-600s. The airline also has one grounded B737-8s and a further 49 on order (which has reportedly been cancelled after the type's grounding, although this has yet to be confirmed). Garuda also has one remaining A320-200neo on order for its Citilink subsidiary.
Garuda Indonesia is the second operator of the A330-900 in the country after Lion Air (JT, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta), which has two units of the type.
