JAKARTA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and its counterpart Emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have agreed to cooperate in expanding flight networks on 18 routes connecting Indonesia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
The cooperation will give added values to Emirates' service users as Garuda Indonesia has extensive domestic networks, connecting Emirates' passengers to various priority destinations in Indonesia, Garuda Indonesia's President Director Irfan Setiaputra said in a statement on Monday.
Meanwhile, Garuda Indonesia's passengers would have easy access to Emirates' various destinations including Dubai, Bahrain, Moscow, Johannesburg, Cairo, London and Manchester, he added.
Setiaputra further said Emirates' passengers who wish to travel to Indonesia via Jakarta can have connecting flights to various priority destinations including Denpasar (Bali), Surabaya (East Java), Makassar (South Sulawesi), Balikpapan (East Kalimantan), Manado (North Sulawesi), Medan (North Sumatra), Padang (West Sumatra) and Surakarta (Central Java).
He expressed hope that the cooperation, which will begin by Jan. 2, 2022, can encourage tourism and trade activities in the context of national economic recovery.
"Based on the same commitment to provide safe, healthy and comfortable flight services with the implementation of strict health protocols, we hope that this partnership can provide various choices of destinations with the best flight services for passengers," he said.
Emirates' Chief Commercial Officer Adnan Kazim said the partnership with Garuda Indonesia will provide access for Emirates' passengers to more destinations in Indonesia from Dubai as well as to the airline's global networks via Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali).
Kazim said Indonesia is an important market for Emirates, and that the partnership with Garuda Indonesia is a proof of its commitment to continue enhancing the UAE airline's networks and improve its services.
The two airlines signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on Nov. 4.
