TBM Staff - Mumbai
Garuda Indonesia (GA) and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have committed to deepening their commercial partnership, aiming to offer reciprocal benefits for their frequent flyer programme members and exploring revenue sharing arrangements for flights between Indonesia and Singapore, subject to regulatory approvals.
The frequent flyer programme agreement was signed by Irfan Setiaputra, CEO, Garuda Indonesia and Goh Choon Phong, CEO, SIA in Jakarta. Additionally, the joint venture revenue share agreement was signed by Garuda Indonesia Director of Service and Commercial Ade R. Susardi and Lee Lik Hsin, CCO, SIA
Once launched, the frequent flyer partnership will allow GarudaMiles and KrisFlyer members to earn and redeem miles on codeshare flights operated by both airlines. The revenue sharing agreement, once implemented, will support joint capacity growth, marking a significant step towards a proposed commercial joint venture covering Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines flights between Singapore and Indonesia.
Both carriers are also continuing joint marketing activities to promote tourism, including familiarisation trips for travel trade and media to boost tourist traffic to Indonesia.
Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines already have a robust codeshare partnership, which has expanded recently. Currently, Garuda Indonesia codeshares on Singapore Airlines flights between Singapore and the Indonesian cities of Bali, Jakarta, Medan, and Surabaya, as well as on long-haul routes to Johannesburg, London (Heathrow), and Mumbai. Conversely, SIA codeshares on Garuda Indonesia flights between Singapore and Bali, Jakarta, and Surabaya.
Irfan Setiaputra, President and CEO, Garuda Indonesia, emphasised that this partnership is part of Garuda Indonesia’s strategy to enhance performance through strategic commercial alliances, adding value to customers. “With a shared mission to optimize the aviation business ecosystem in Southeast Asia post-pandemic, this initiative reflects both airlines’ commitment to strengthening our well-established cooperation,” he stated.
He added, “This partnership is a special milestone for us, marking 58 years of Garuda Indonesia’s journey in connecting Indonesia and Singapore. We hope this partnership will enhance social, cultural, and tourism relations between Indonesia and Singapore while providing seamless access for customers to various destinations served by both airlines.”
Goh Choon Phong, CEO of Singapore Airlines, noted, “Our win-win partnership with Garuda Indonesia will improve connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore for our customers. This will meet the growing demand for air travel between the two countries and beyond, facilitating tourism and economic activities. By deepening the synergies between our frequent flyer programmes, we enhance the benefits for our loyal customers, offering them more opportunities to earn and redeem miles when travelling with both airlines.”
