Garuda Indonesia had its beginnings in the Indonesian war of independence against the Dutch in the late 1940s, when Garuda flew special transports with a Douglas DC-3. 26 January 1949 is generally recognized as the airline's founding date, at which time the airline was known as "Garuda Indonesian Airways."

The first aircraft was a DC-3 known as Seulawah (Acehnese: "Gold Mountain") and was purchased for a sum of 120,000 Malayan dollars, which was provided by the people of Aceh (notably local merchants). During the revolution, the airline supported Indonesian interests, such as carrying Indonesian leaders for diplomatic missions. Now, a chartered Garuda Indonesia Airbus A330-300 is used by the President of Indonesia for presidential travels.

The Burmese government helped the airline significantly during its beginnings. The country's national airline, Union of Burma Airways, often chartered this DC-3 for its own flights. Accordingly, upon Garuda's formal joint incorporation with KLM on 31 March 1950, the airline presented the Burmese government with a DC-3. By 1953, the airline had 46 aircraft, although by 1955 its Catalina fleet had been retired. In June 1956, Garuda made its first Hajj flight, operated with a Convair 340 carrying 40 Indonesians, to the city of Mecca.

The name "Garuda" was derived from a Dutch poem written by a renowned scholar and poet Raden Mas Noto Soeroto.

"Ik ben Garuda, Vishnoe's vogel, die zijn vleugels uitslaat hoog boven uw eilanden"

which means "I'm a Garuda, Vishnu's Bird, spreads its wings high above the Islands"

The line was mentioned by Sukarno during the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference at The Hague, from August 23 to November 2, 1949.

The 1960s: Growth and expansion

The 1960s were times of growth for the airline; the fleet in 1960 included eight Convair 240s, eight Convair 340s and eight Convair 440s. In 1961 and late 1965, three Convair 990 jet aircraft were introduced along with three Lockheed L-188 Electras, and a route was opened to Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong. After concentrating on domestic and regional services, the first flights to Europe were added on 28 September 1963, to Amsterdam and Frankfurt. In 1965, flights to Europe were expanded to include Rome and Paris via Bombay and Cairo, with the exclusive use of Convair 990 aircraft. That year, flights to People's Republic of China started, with Garuda flying to Canton via Phnom Penh. Also in 1965, the jet age arrived for Garuda, with a Douglas DC-8 that flew to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport via Colombo, Bombay, Rome and Prague.

1970s–1980s: New equipment

In early 1970s, Garuda Indonesia introduced McDonnell Douglas DC-9 and Fokker F28 jets, and at one point Garuda owned 62 Fokker jets, making Garuda the world's largest operator of F28s at that time. In 1973, the carrier introduced the Douglas DC-10; it later introduced the Boeing 747-200, in 1980, and Airbus A300-B4 on 21 June 1982. Garuda was the launch customer for Airbus A300 with two-man crew cockpit (designated A300B4-220FFCC). By 1984, nine of these were in service, supplemented by 10 Douglas DC-10s, 24 Douglas DC-9s, 45 Fokker F-28s, and 6 Boeing 747-200s. During the 1970s the airline had its headquarters in Jakarta.

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