Garuda Indonesia cut its red ink in the first quarter, on the back of significant increase in revenue as travel demand picked up.

For the three months to 31 March, the SkyTeam carrier reported a pre-tax loss of $131 million, narrowing the $257 million loss in the year-ago period.

Garuda Indonesia 737-800

Source: Wikimedia Commons/Ikko Haidar Farozy

A Garuda 737-800 in October 2020

Revenue for the quarter was up 72% to $603 million, with passenger travel revenue doubling year on year.

Quarterly expenses, meanwhile, rose 15% year on year to $605 million, led by an increase in costs relating to flight operations as flying activity ramped up.

Garuda posted a net loss of $110 million, narrowing from the $225 million loss reported a year ago.

The carrier ended the quarter with $428 million in cash and cash equivalents, lower than the $522 million at the start of the year, but significantly higher than the year-ago period.

Garuda’s restructuring continues apace, after gaining approvals in 2022. The carrier was hit by a series of lawsuits related to aircraft leases in recent months, but stresses that these do not affect its restructuring efforts.