Garuda Indonesia Officially Becomes KONI's Official Airline

President Director of Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra and Head of Central KONI Marciano Norman. (IST)

JAKARTA - Garuda Indonesia, a national airline, further strengthens its commitment to supporting various national agendas. This time, the support was realized through the signing of a cooperation agreement with the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI). This event took place on Monday 27 May at the GMF AeroAsia Hangar 2 GMF, where Garuda Indonesia officially became the Official Airline KONI for various national sporting events with an agreement period of up to 13 May 2028.

Through this collaboration, Garuda Indonesia will carry around 12 thousand passengers consisting of administrators, athletes, contingents, delegates, and officials from 38 provinces and 65 main sports under the auspices of KONI. In addition, Garuda Indonesia is also the Official Airline at the XXI National Sports Week (PON) which will be held in Aceh and North Sumatra on September 8-20, 2024.

President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiaputra, stated that the signing of this collaboration with KONI was a sustainable initiative to advance the national sports sector. "We understand that sports are a sector that has contributed greatly to making the nation proud in the world arena. Of course, we are proud to be able to actively participate in advancing the sports sector with KONI," said Irfan in his written statement.

Irfan also added that the demographic bonus condition that Indonesia is facing is an important momentum. "The organization of various sporting events by KONI such as PON will produce superior seeds in various sports that can be fostered into outstanding athletes at the international level," he explained.

Chairman of the Central KONI, Lt. Gen. TNI (Ret.) Marciano Norman, said that this collaboration requires detailed coordination between the Central KONI and Garuda Indonesia. "The presence of Garuda Indonesia is expected to accelerate and facilitate air transportation for the contingent prepared by KONI," said Marciano. He also hopes that Citilink can help organize XXI PON in areas that are not served by Garuda Indonesia.

In this agreement, Garuda Indonesia offers various benefits for national sports players. Among them, a 15% discount for domestic routes and 20% for international routes, additional baggage up to 5 kg, and baggage for sports equipment reached 23 kg. Garuda Indonesia also provides special check-in counters, dedicated PIC, head rest covers, and special price offers for promotional materials that will be displayed on aircraft livery and Garuda Indonesia's in-flight magazine.

"Garuda Indonesia's support through safe and comfortable flight services is expected to improve the quality of organizing sporting events in Indonesia. This will provide a long-term domino effect in the form of the emergence of outstanding youths in the sports sector," concluded Irfan Surya Putra after signing the MoU with the Head of the Central KONI.