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 708 Garuda Indonesia Flight 708 Garuda Indonesia Airways Flight 708 was a scheduled passenger flight on 16 February 1967 which crashed upon landing at Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. 22 of the 84 passengers on board were killed. All eight crew members survived. Flight 708 departed Jakarta for a flight to Manado via Surabaya and Makassar. On the second leg of the flight bad weather at Makassar forced the crew to return to Surabaya. The flight continued the next day to Makassar and on to Manado. The weather at Manado was cloud base at 900 feet and 2 km