On Oct. 29, Garuda Indonesia announced that its profit in the first nine months of 2007 jumped 150 percent to Rp 218 billion (US$24 million) from the same period last year when it suffered a loss of Rp 436 billion.

"This is far better than in the same period over the past three years when we always suffered losses. In the same period last year, we suffered a loss of Rp 436 billion," Garuda Indonesia President Director Emirsyah Satar said.

The profit was the result of the company's programs to restructure its routes, keep down operating costs and make maximum use of planes, he said.

He said the number of passengers traveling on Garuda planes in the January-September 2007 period rose 9 percent to 6.1 million from 5.6 million in the same period last year.