Garuda Indonesia under the name of "Garuda Indonesian Airways". Throughout the revolution, Garuda supported national interests, and often carried diplomats on its flights. The Burmese government helped the airline significantly during its beginnings. The country's national airline, Union of Burma Airways, often chartered one of the airline's DC-3s 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 as a gift. By the early and mid 1950s, the airline operated a fleet of 38 aircraft, which included 22 DC-3s, 8 Catalina seaplanes, and 8 Convair 240s, and
Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 Garuda Indonesia Flight 035 was a domestic Garuda Indonesia flight that struck a pylon and crashed on approach to Medan-Polonia Airport on 4 April 1987. 23 of the 45 passengers and crew on board were killed in the accident. The aircraft was on an Instrument Landing System approach to Medan Airport in a thunderstorm. The aircraft struck electrical power lines and crashed short of the runway. The aircraft broke up and the tail section separated and fire broke out. Most of the survivors escaped through breaks in the fuselage and 11 were flung free of the