Garuda’s ultra long haul

Indonesia’s national airline Garuda has joined Heathrow’s elite club of ultra-long-haul non-stop services with its new flights from London to Jakarta. 

The company’s published flight time for the 11,679km (6,302nmi) journey is 13hr 50min. Garuda is using the Boeing 777-300ER for the five-times-a-week service.

The new schedule follows the airline’s move to Heathrow from from Gatwick, where it had a three-a-week schedule. The Heathrow flights are also no longer stopping at Amsterdam.

Heathrow welcomed Garuda Indonesia with the arrival of the first flight from Jakarta with traditional Indonesian dancers. Liverpool Football Club legends Ian Rush and Gary McAllister were also on hand for the celebration.

British Airways’ longest route out of Heathrow is the 11,151km (6,021nmi) flight to Buenos Aires, for which the airline also claims a 13hr 50min flight time.

The two carriers’ status is unlikely to remain unchallenged for long as new-generation aircraft make longer non-stop operations possible. Qantas, for example, is considering operating from Heathrow to Perth in Western Australia when its Boeing 787-9s begin delivery from 2017.

The likely flight time for that 14,499km (7,829nmi) journey is likely to be around 16hr.

www.garuda-indonesia.com  

www.heathrow.com

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