Etihad Airways to Codeshare with Garuda Indonesia

Etihad Airways has signed a new codeshare agreement with the Indonesian flag carrier, Garuda Indonesia.

The agreement, which comes into effect on 28 October 2012, is the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s 42nd codeshare.

In the first phase of the partnership, Etihad Airways will place its ‘EY’ code on Garuda Indonesia’s services between Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali), and Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Subject to regulatory approval, Garuda Indonesia will place its ‘GA’ code on Etihad Airways flights from Jakarta to up to 31 destinations in the GCC, Levant, Africa, Europe and North America.

Subject to regulatory approval, the airlines plan to expand the scope of the agreement to include more destinations in each other’s network and offer customer benefits such as frequent flyer program reciprocity and airport lounge access.

“The partnership with Garuda Indonesia will contribute to Etihad Airways achieving its goal of expanding its network and brand presence in South East Asia,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer. “Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous nation, is an important source of global tourism growth and this new agreement will position both airlines to benefit from the strong demand for travel between Indonesia and the Middle East and Europe that we have seen in recent years. It will also stimulate trade in foodstuffs, manufactured goods and other commodities between Indonesia and trading partners in the western hemisphere which, in turn, will contribute to the profitability of the airlines’ cargo operations on the route. Etihad Airways is keen to expand the scope of cooperation with Garuda Indonesia to include new destinations – particularly in Indonesia – and to offer our guests a wider choice of travel options.”

Emirsyah Satar, President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia, said, “Through this partnership, Garuda Indonesia will be able to extend its service to Europe, North America, Middle East and Africa, and Etihad Airways will provide more convenient connections for their passengers in Indonesia, Australia and Japan.”

See other recent news regarding: Travel News Asia, RevPAR, Interviews, Pictures, Sports Tourism, Videos, Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi, Indonesia, Garuda