Garuda Indonesia, the national carrier of Indonesia, has placed a firm order with Airbus for six long range A330-200 aircraft. Scheduled for delivery from the fourth quarter of 2012, the newly ordered aircraft will join a fleet of four recently delivered leased A330-200s and six owned A330-300s already in service at the airline. 

Garuda Indonesia's newly ordered A330-200s will feature a high comfort two class layout for operation on services to destinations across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as to the Middle East and Europe. The aircraft will be powered by Trent 700 engines from Rolls-Royce.

"Since we started operating the A330-200 last year, the aircraft has proven itself to be a winner for us both in terms of operating economics and passenger appeal," said Emirsyah Satar, President & CEO Garuda Indonesia. "The extended range, low operating costs and the high levels of comfort make it the perfect vehicle for us to bring our new premium service to more international destinations in a profitable and efficient way."

"We are extremely pleased to reaffirm our long-term partnership with Garuda Indonesia with this new order," said Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO. "The order underscores yet again the A330's status as the most efficient aircraft in-service in the mid-size category today and the right aircraft right now for airlines across the globe."

The modern and efficient A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,000 firm orders for the various versions of the aircraft. More than 700 A330s have already been delivered and the aircraft is currently flying with over 80 operators worldwide.