Aviation in Indonesia to KLM, which created the "KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf" (Interinsular Service). The Republic of Indonesia declared its independence on 17 August 1945 and the war of independence ensued. After enduring five years of war and securing recognition of Indonesian Independence in late 1949, the aviation service reopened for business. The "KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf" was nationalized by the Indonesian government in December 1949 as Garuda Indonesia, the national airline of the republic, and began to operate air services in the Indonesian archipelago. In the early years of the Indonesian Republic, Garuda Indonesia dominated the air transport service in the country, connecting major
Garuda Indonesia Citilink, which provided low-cost flights to multiple Indonesian destinations and was spun-off in 2012. The earliest predecessor to Garuda Indonesia was KNILM, Royal Dutch Indies Airways, founded in 1928 during the Dutch colonial period; despite the similar name, it was not a subsidiary of the main Dutch carrier KLM. KNILM was dissolved in 1947, and its assets were transferred to a new KLM subsidiary, KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf (KLM Interinsular Service), which was nationalized in December 1949. The name "Garuda" was derived from a Dutch poem written by a renowned Javanese scholar and poet Raden Mas Noto Soeroto; ""Ik ben Garuda,