Flag carriers Garuda Indonesia and Emirates have announced the launch of their codeshare partnership, following a deal the airlines signed in November of last year.
The codeshare partnership was set in stone yesterday, expanding both Garuda and Emirates’ flight network connectivity to 16 routes in Indonesia, the Middle East, and Europe starting March 16.
Garuda Indonesia passengers will get a variety of options for more seamless flight network accessibility to various popular destinations served by Emirates such as Dubai, Barcelona, London Heathrow, Paris, Manchester, and Milan, among others. Meanwhile, Emirates passengers can fly easier to various destinations in Indonesia served by Garuda Indonesia through two international flight hubs, Jakarta and Denpasar.
The domestic flight destinations served through the Jakarta hub are Solo, Surabaya, Medan, Padang, Denpasar, Balikpapan, Manado, and Makassar — while the Denpasar hub will serve flights to Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar.
Garuda CEO Irfan Setiaputra said in a statement that the codeshare partnership will give their passengers access to more choices of international destinations.
“This partnership is in line with Garuda’s commitment to national economic recovery and connecting Indonesia to the world. With more countries that have loosened their travel restrictions and opened their borders, we hope to serve Emirates passengers who fly to Indonesia, and Garuda passengers who fly to more destinations around the world,” Irfan said.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, said that this is the right time for their partnership because travelers have already started planning for their trips as the travel industry recovers, and businesses are looking for seamless travel comfort.
“This codeshare partnership will allow us to expand our reach, and for our customers to use our services and fly to other Indonesian domestic destinations besides Jakarta and Bali,” Kazim said.
Passengers can book their flights immediately through their preferred booking channels, while the codeshare flights will commence on March 16. Additionally, Garuda and Emirates are also exploring strategic partnership through the frequent flyer program, which allows passengers of both airlines to earn and exchange loyalty points for ticket rewards, feature upgrades, as well as other exclusive benefits.
At the moment, Garuda Indonesia has codeshare partnerships with more than 23 airlines — including with the United Arab Emirates’ other flag carrier, Etihad Airways — and 70 interline partners, in which their passengers can change from a Garuda flight to another flight operated by another airline in one booking.
The codeshare partnership makes strategic sense for Garuda, which has had to make significant cuts to its international routes amid concerns for its survival from its nearly US$10 billion debt. Now, Garuda’s direct international destinations are limited to major Asian and Australian cities, while Amsterdam is the only remaining European destination.
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