Emirates today announced that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Garuda Indonesia to form a codeshare agreement between the two carriers. The partnership is expected to become official in January 2022.
A significant market segment
Indonesia has long been a tourism hotspot, with up to over 16 million tourists visiting the country each year. However, due to the global health crisis, visitor numbers dropped to just four million in 2020.
Emirates recognizes the value of the Indonesian market, noting that the country has long been an important part of its network. The Dubai-based carrier is expecting that conditions will improve next year.
With the future in mind, the airline highlights that passengers can take advantage of smoother connections on routes across Europe Middle East, Africa, and the Americas thanks to single ticket travel. The pair are also looking to jump on this momentum and collaborate via their frequent flyer programs.
Passengers utilizing the codeshare will be able to connect to and from the Indonesian destinations of Surabaya, Denpasar, Makassar, Balikpapan, Manado, Medan, Solo, and Padang on services conducted by Garuda from Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, to Emirates’ hub of Dubai and beyond with one ticket. Moreover, routes that directly connect Denpasar with Surabaya and Makassar will be available to select.
“We are pleased to forge a codeshare partnership with Garuda Indonesia to provide our customers with access to additional destinations in Indonesia and which also allows them to enjoy seamless and convenient connectivity to eight domestic destinations to and from Dubai and to our global network through Jakarta, and three destinations through Denpasar.” – Adnan Kazim, Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates, via statement.
Positives on both sides
Garuda Indonesia is just as excited about the partnership. Factors such as check-in, bag check, and boarding can all be conducted more seamlessly through the codeshare. These benefits are something that the airline is looking forward for its passengers to enjoy.
“We are delighted to announce our partnership with Emirates that gives their inbound passengers seamless access to top travel destinations in Indonesia connected by Garuda’s domestic network. Outbound Garuda passengers will also benefit from this partnership as it gives them access to a wider range of destinations served by Emirates.” – Irfan Setiaputra, President & CEO, Garuda Indonesia, in the announcement.
Get your boarding pass to the flight of the year. The Future Flying Forum is taking off soon!
Increased connectivity
Emirates has been on a roll when it comes to codeshares this year. For instance, it signed an agreement with Azul in August. The move relates to connections from Emirates’ flights to Sao Paulo to the likes of Rio de Janeiro, Belem, Recife, Belo Horizonte, Cuiaba, Curitiba, Juazeiro Do Norte, and Porto Alegre.
In the same month, Emirates announced a codeshare with Airlink, allowing travelers arriving in Durban, Johannesburg, and Cape Town to benefit from similar connections to several South African and regional destinations.
Overall, Garuda Indonesia has had notable troubles recently, and it is drifting toward bankruptcy. The carrier lost $900 million in the first six months of this year, adding to the multi-billion dollar debt that it is facing. With these ongoing issues, the government is mulling over the prospects of replacing the airline.
Recently, the Indonesian government gave relaxed some restrictions for passengers arriving in Bali from 19 countries. However, travel to the wider country is still essentially challenging. Garuda Indonesia will be keen for better prospects as 2022 arrives and will be hoping that the codeshare with Emirates and the subsequent boost in passenger connectivity will give a strong start to the new year.
What are your thoughts about the codeshare partnership between Emirates and Garuda Indonesia? Do you think this agreement would be a good move for the two airlines? Let us know what you think of the overall initiative in the comment section.
from Simple Flying https://ift.tt/3mW4hGg
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment