Arrival of the first flight of Garuda Airlines to Amsterdam Schiphol
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Excellencies, dear Mr. Satar, ladies and gentlemen,
A warm welcome to you all, here at Schiphol Airport at the arrival of the inaugural flight of Garuda Indonesia.
Welcome báck, I should say.
Because of course, the cooperation between Garuda and Schiphol goes back many years.
This is the first time Garuda is back in the Netherlands, since the end of 2004. A moment to remember.
We welcome you here as friends. And as a friend I like to say: it has been too long...
When you compare the situation with the circumstances in 2004, the difference is enormous.
A lot has happened during those years, and I may say, in a very positive way.
By the end of 2004 things were not going too well for Garuda.
The Amsterdam office closed and the Garuda flights between Amsterdam and Jakarta were suspended for an indefinite period of time. The flight ban that was imposed by the European Union did not help either to make a return to Amsterdam possible.
Since then you have worked very hard for your comeback.
And you have succeeded. You have risen again like a phoenix - which happens to be one of the meanings of Garuda.
The Republic of Indonesia can be proud of Garuda, like the Netherlands is proud of KLM. It functions as a showpiece of the booming Indonesian economy.
I heard that most Indonesian people consider it more elegant to fly with Garuda than any other Asian airline.
Garuda was also named the world’s most improved airline at this year’s World Airline Awards in Hamburg (Germany).
This was based on surveys of more than 17 million passengers.
That surely is an admirable position.
Of course this also means you have the responsibility to stay on top, respecting high levels of safety and service.
Garuda was ready for this European comeback already some time ago, but the restrictions imposed by the European Union since 2007 for all Indonesian airlines made this impossible.
The flight ban triggered you to work even harder to prove Garuda was ready to fly to Europe.
The Dutch government provided some assistance to the Indonesian Government and together we worked hard in convincing the European Union that safety is a priority issue for Indonesia and its carriers. Together we succeeded to get you back in business.
So you could say you landed here in Amsterdam, with a little help from your friends.
And finally here you are, looking brand new, with a new fleet and a new flight schedule.
From now on, Garuda Indonesia will bring the sun each morning to Schiphol Airport, the gateway to Europe.
Your excellencies, Mr. Satar, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you once more as friends in the Netherlands. This is the first day of a renewed cooperation in the air, and a revitalised lifeline between Jakarta and Europe.