Garuda Indonesia and Singapore Airlines have deepened their commercial cooperation, with the signing of new agreements covering frequent flyer programmes, and a potential revenue sharing arrangement.
The revenue sharing agreement, when implemented, will “support joint capacity growth”, both carriers state, noting that it is a “significant step” in plans for a proposed commercial joint venture arrangement. However, they did not elaborate further.
The frequent flyer partnership will allow members of both airlines to earn and redeem miles on codeshare flights operated by either party. Garuda puts its code on SIA flights from Singapore to Bali, Jakarta, Medan and Surabaya, as well as on long-haul routes to London, Johannesburg and Mumbai. SIA, meanwhile, has its code on Garuda flights between Singapore and Jakarta, Bali and Surabaya.
Garuda chief Irfan Setiaputra says the latest expansion of its partnership with SIA are part of efforts to improve airline performance.
“Having the same mission in optimising the potential of the aviation business ecosystem in South East Asia after the pandemic, this initiative is certainly an important manifestation of both airlines’ commitment to continue strengthening our well-established cooperation,” he notes.
Adds SIA chief Goh Choon Phong: “Our win-win partnership with Garuda Indonesia will improve the connectivity between Indonesia and Singapore for our customers. This will help to meet the increasing demand for air travel between the two countries and beyond, as well as facilitate the growth of tourism and economic activities.”
SIA and Garuda will also continue with joint marketing activities relating to tourism.
“This potentially includes joint activities to promote tourist traffic to Indonesia, including familiarisation trips for travel trade and media,” they add.
The news comes almost a year since the two carriers last updated their partnership. In May 2023, both carriers proposed a partnership that could see them potentially coordinate their schedules on flights between the two countries.
