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
National emblem of Indonesia the Garuda in Indonesia's coat-of-arms invokes the pre-colonial Hindu kingdoms that spanned across the archipelago, from which the present-day Republic of Indonesia is understood to be descended. However, unlike the traditional anthropomorphic form of Garuda as featured in ancient temples in Java, the Balinese Garuda, or the national emblem of Thailand, the design of Indonesia's "Garuda Pancasila" is rendered in modern naturalist style. The design of "Garuda Pancasila" was inspired by the "elang Jawa" or Javan hawk-eagle ("Nisaetus bartelsi"), an endangered raptor endemic to the mountainous forest regions of Java. The Javan hawk-eagle's resemblance to the "Garuda Pancasila" is most