Garuda Indonesia signed on Thursday a codeshare agreement with Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways. After Air France, Etihad seems to further reinforce its links with Skyteam although the airline denies joining an alliance…
ABU DHABI- What could be the consequence of a new code share agreement signed on Thursday between Garuda Indonesia and Etihad Airways ? The officially announced cooperation will allow the two airlines to help mutually develop their destinations and expand their network.
Under the agreement, Garuda will become Etihad’s partner in expanding its eastern-bound destinations, while the airline from the United Arab Emirates would help the Indonesian flag carrier to develop its western-bound flights, a Garuda statement said.
The signing of the agreement, which took place at Etihad headquarters in Abu Dhabi, was a follow up to an memorandum of understanding previously issued in September that covered “Passenger’s code-share, cargo cooperation, airport service enhancement, engineering and maintenance, lounge services and Frequent Flyer Programs.”
“Of course, this cooperation will result in added value for passengers of both airlines, especially in facilitating flights to destination cities served by the two airlines,” Garuda President Emirsyah Satar said. The code-share agreement will take effect on Oct. 28.
Emirsyah noted that Garuda passengers will be connected to more than 80 destinations in 50 countries served by Etihad. James Hogan, Etihad president and CEO, said that the agreement was an important part of the airline’s network development strategy. Garuda will then be able to post its code on Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta as well as Kuala Lumpur.
Garuda Indonesia will also become a “marketing party” and can sell flight tickets to more than 27 Etihad destinations through Abu Dhabi. It includes among other South Africa, North America with Chicago, New York and Toronto, the middle east and in Europe Athens, Brussels, Dublin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, London, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Munich and Paris. Etihad Airways will also do the same for Garuda destinations in Asia, Australia, Japan and Indonesia.
In line with the agreement, starting on Dec. 2, Garuda Indonesia will also change its four-times-a-week flights between Jakarta and Amsterdam to go through Abu Dhabi instead of Dubai. Garuda is likely to become a member of Skyteam by 2014. With a comprehensive agreement signed a few weeks ago between Air France and Etihad, the Abu Dhabi carrier is getting closer to Skyteam. But it does not mean officially that it will part of the alliance anytime soon said airlines’ officials.
Photo caption: James Hogan,(2nd left),President and CEO of Etihad Airways, and Emirsyah Satar, (2nd right), President and CEO of Garuda Indonesia are seen after they signed an agreement of their partnerships.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
