In Collaboration With Etihad Airways, Garuda Expans Aviation Network To AS-Turkey

Garuda Indonesia is collaborating with Etihad Airways to expand the Aviation Network to the US-Turkey. (Photo: Special)

JAKARTA - Garuda Indonesia's national airline together with the United Arab Emirates national airline, Etihad Airways has again expanded cooperation for codeshare flights.

This collaboration was stated in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the B20 Summit.

With the agreement to sign the MoU this time, later the passengers of the Etihad Airways can continue their journey to a number of areas in Eastern Indonesia, including Ambon, Biak, Jayapura, Gorontalo, Kendari, Kupang, Lombok, Merauke, Palu, and Timika using Garuda flights.

Meanwhile, Garuda passengers can travel to the United States such as Chicago, New York, and Washington as well as to Istanbul, Turkey from Abu Dhabi using Etihad Airways flights.

The availability of this route certainly further complements the Garuda and Etihad codeshare flight route network that has been established since 2012 which covers Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra, said that through the expansion of the codeshare flight network between Garuda and Etihad, which is expected to fully support the strengthening of the national tourism ecosystem in a sustainable manner, in line with the potential for foreign tourist visits that are increasingly promising during the recovery period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Irfan said that the initiative to expand the flight network through the codeshare flight route is also expected to bring added value to services for Garuda passengers both in terms of comfort and convenience to destinations in various other parts of the continent by utilizing the flight network from Etihad.

"We hope that the cooperation between Garuda and Etihad will have a positive impact on strengthening bilateral relations between Indonesia and the UAE, including optimizing the various opportunities available in Indonesia, especially to face dynamic challenges in the years to come," said Irfan in an official statement, Tuesday, November 15.

Irfan said, air connectivity accessibility is one of the crucial things for Indonesia as an archipelagic country with a total of more than 17,000 islands.

Seeing the important role of air transportation which has a significant impact on the Indonesian economy, it is hoped that the opportunities available in this aviation industry ecosystem, especially in the post-pandemic period, can bring even wider potential for cooperation between Garuda and Etihad.

"Not only is it limited to expanding the aviation network but other business and operational services aspects that are promising in the future," he said. Meanwhile, Garuda and Etihad helped strengthen their synergy by collaborating on a frequent flyer program that allows passengers from each airline to obtain or exchange their ticket loyalty and reward points when using codeshare flights. Irfan said, the availability of broad collaboration opportunities, especially between these two airlines, is a momentum for Garuda to welcome the global air transportation industry outlook which is starting to rebound by cooperating with strategic partners in order to realize various other initiatives, which is expected to be able to support the current performance recovery process in order to compete competitively, especially on international flights. "In the future, the collaboration between Garuda and Etihad will not only focus on commercial aviation but will also develop cargo business lines, maintenance-repair-overhaul (MRO) services," he said.

"As well as training programs for air crews that are expected to bring mutual benefits for the advancement of the quality of services of the two airlines in the midst of the rapid growth of international aviation activities during the transition to the current endemic," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Etihad Aviation Group, Antonolado Neves, said that with the expansion of this collaboration, his party hopes to become a deep continuous synergy between Etihad and Garuda in exploring various potentials that can increase efforts to provide benefits and experience for both service users.

"Especially for those who often carry out traveling activities. Also, hopefully, they can continue to maximize the expansion of flight networks outside our flight hubs," said Antonolado.