Garuda Indonesia the safety reforms already undertaken were a step in the right direction for the EU to consider lifting the ban, but still did not satisfy the EU's aviation safety standards, and thus, did not lift its ban. The ban was lifted in July 2009, after which Garuda began evaluating service to Amsterdam and other European destinations, as well as the United States. Following the lifting of the EU ban against Garuda Indonesia and three other Indonesian carriers, the airline announced in July 2009 an aggressive five-year expansion plan known as the "Quantum Leap". The plan involved an image overhaul, including
Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 evacuating. The crash was dramatized in the 16th season of the TV series "Mayday" – also re-packaged as "Air Disasters" – in an episode entitled "River Runway". Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 Garuda Indonesia Flight 421 was a scheduled domestic flight operated by Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia travelling about from Ampenan to Yogyakarta. On January 16, 2002, the flight encountered severe thunderstorm activity during approach to its destination, suffered flameout in both engines, and ditched in a shallow river, resulting in one fatality and several injuries. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-3Q8, registration PK-GWA, was manufactured in 1988 and delivered in