KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf

Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij Interinsulair Bedrijf Batavia (KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf or simply KLM-IIB; lit. 'Royal Dutch Interinsular Airline Services Batavia') was an airline based in the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) and the predecessor to Garuda Indonesia.

History

KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf (KLM-IIB) was founded on 1 August 1947 at Kemayoran Airport as a KLM subsidiary (due to the dissolution of Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij (KNILM)),[1] and all of the aircraft in KNILM fleet were later transferred to KLM-IIB. They also received twenty Dakota aircraft, previously operated by Koninklijk Nederlands Indisch Leger (KNIL).[2]

Based in Java,[2] their destinations consisted of domestic routes (within Indonesia) and also international routes (such as Singapore; Penang, British Malaya; and Manila, Philippines),[3] operated by several Dakotas and nine Consolidated PBY Catalina amphibious aircraft.[2]

Nationalization by Indonesian government

On 28 December 1949, KLM-IIB was nationalized by the Indonesian government, as agreed by both the Indonesian and Dutch governments during the 1949 Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference. Upon the nationalization, the airline was renamed as Garuda Indonesia, now the flag carrier of Indonesia, and it remains to this day.[2]

Fleet

• DC-3 Dakota, 20
• Consolidated PBY Catalina, 9

Accidents and incidents

• On 10 February 1948, Flight 947, a Douglas C-47B (PK-REA), lost control and crashed near Padalarang while attempting to return to Bandung following an engine failure, killing all 19 on board.[4][5]

• On 8 March 1948, a Consolidated PBY Catalina (PK-CTC) was damaged during takeoff at Poso, Sulawesi and sank, due to "a misunderstanding about the starting procedure to be followed between captain [C.L. van Kooij] and 2nd pilot [M.G. Nicolai] crashed during takeoff." None of the nine crew and passengers were injured. It was damaged beyond repair. It "took all the luggage to the seabed."[6]