The Southeast Asian airline Garuda Indonesia has committed to the purchase of 11 Airbus craft. The deal coincides with David Cameron’s tour of Indonesia.
The new order from Garuda Indonesia is worth £326 million to Airbus which has a strong UK supply base for its wing-building facility in Broughton, north Wales as well as its design facility in Bristol.
Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed news of the deal which coincided with the start of his tour of Indonesia. “This deal between Airbus and Garuda Indonesian Airlines is good news for the UK aerospace industry. It will safeguard jobs at the design facility near Bristol and the manufacturing plant in Broughton in north Wales,” he said.
Mr Cameron added that the Indonesian order was, “testament to the expertise of Airbus’s British workforce and a vote of confidence in Britain’s manufacturing base.”
Wales junior minister David Jones also welcomed news of the deal today emphasizing the resilience it will bring to Welsh aerospace jobs and manufacturing at Broughton.
The order from Garuda builds on a 2011 order for 25 A320 planes. The airline has revealed a need to expand fleet capacity after passenger numbers jumped 17% last year. The Airports Council International has also confirmed that Jakarta Airport has the fastest growth rate in passenger numbers passing through in the world.
Garuda will use the 11 A330 craft to service routes to South Korea, Japan and Australia.
