Garuda
Indonesia announced increased services to six new destinations
in Europe
and the Middle East that are served by the
United Arab Emirate carrier, namely Frankfurt, Brussels, Milan,
Dusseldorf, Munich, and Bahrain, beginning this January 2013, through
a code sharing agreement with
Etihad Airways.
With
the addition of
these six new destinations, Garuda now acts as marketing carrier
for Etihad Airway’s thirteen destinations.
The other seven cities are Abu Dhabi, London,
Paris, Manchester, Moscow, Athens, and Muscat. Garuda flies to these
thirteen destinations out of its Abu Dhabi hub.
As
for Etihad Airways, it currently serves as marketing carrier
for seven of Garuda Indonesia destinations, such as Denpasar,
Manado, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Makassar, Amsterdam, and Abu Dhabi.
Garuda
Indonesia President & CEO, Emirsyah Satar expressed his approval
of the network expansion through the code sharing agreement between
Garuda Indonesia and Etihad Airways that covers destinations in
Indonesia, Europe, the Middle East and Australia.
“The
agreement signed in October 2012 has given Garuda Indonesia
passengers greater accessibility, to travel to eighty destinations in
fifty countries around the world served by Etihad Airways, from
Indonesia,” he said.
The
code share agreement is part of Garuda Indonesia’s efforts to
always improve service quality as
part of itsQuantum
Leap 2011 – 2015 programme, particularly by
broadening its flight network.
Garuda
Indonesia also plans to increase flight frequency on the
Jakarta – Amsterdam via Abu Dhabi service, from four times a week
to six times a week starting June 21, 2013.
The
quickest Jakarta – Europe Connections
“Furthermore,
as of June 2013, Garuda Indonesia will begin serving the Jakarta –
Perth route which is a code sharingflight between Garuda
Indonesia and Etihad Airways. The flight schedule will
adjust to those of
flights to
and from Dhabi to facilitate Garuda Indonesia and Etihad Airways
passengers travelling from the Middle East, Europe, and beyond
to Western Australia
and vice versa,” added Emirsyah.
Etihad
Airways President & CEO, James Hogan added, “The cooperation
between Etihad Airways and Garuda Indonesia continues to grow and
provide benefits to both airlines’ customers, through
broader flight networks, greater connectivity between
cities and flexible flight schedules.”
“This
agreement not only shortens passengers’ travel time to and from
their favorite destinations to under three hours, but also allows
them to enjoy quick connections between Jakarta, Manchester, Geneva,
and Brussels,” said Hogan.
In addition,
Hogan explains that the strategic cooperation gives Etihad Airways
access to six million potential tourists in Indonesia, as well as
strengthens commercial ties between Indonesia and Middle Eastern
countries, in the oil and natural gas sectors, and the mining
industry in both regions.
The
code sharing agreement between Garuda Indonesia and Etihad Airways
went into effect on October 28, 2012. The agreement connects Garuda
Indonesia passengers from various cities in Indonesia with more than
eighty destinations served by Etihad Airways in fifty cities
worldwide. Garuda Indonesia acts as marketing party” and as such is
able to sell flight
tickets to more than twenty-seven of Etihad
Airways’ attractive destinations in Europe, North America, the
Middle East and Africa.
Etihad
Airways passengers will also be connected to Garuda
Indonesia’s flight network in Indonesia, Asia, Australia
and Japan. As marketing party, Etihad Airways will also be able to
sell Garuda Indonesia tickets for various routes, such as Jakarta -
Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta – Abu Dhabi, and to major cities in
Indonesia, among others Surabaya, Denpasar, Manado, Makassar and
Balikpapan (from Jakarta).
