Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Garuda Indonesia this week will commence new codeshare flights between Jakarta and Perth, the capital of Western Australia.

The daily nonstop flights, to be operated by the Indonesian flag carrier, will begin tomorrow (June 28). The new services will add an extra 2,184 seats each week to the Jakarta-Perth route.

“The Jakarta-Perth route adds a new dimension to our partnership with Garuda Indonesia which has developed in a mutually beneficial way since its signing last October – particularly in terms of operational and cost efficiencies,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer.

“The codeshare with Garuda to Perth demonstrates the effectiveness of our partnership strategy, enabling Etihad Airways to continue its expansion in Australia and to contribute to tourism and economic growth.

“We are confident that seamless two-way connections in Jakarta to Perth and Abu Dhabi – and beyond to Europe, Africa and the Middle East – will hold great appeal to travellers on the route,” he added.

Emirsyah Satar, Garuda Indonesia’s president and CEO, said: “The Jakarta-Perth nonstop flights are part of the airline’s expansion program to develop its international network and in line with Garuda Indonesia’s Quantum Leap Program 2011-2015.”

“The new route is expected to boost inbound travel to Indonesia, and strengthen the airline’s network to Australia – a total of 42 weekly flights serving Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

“This new codeshare flight with Etihad Airways will give passengers the benefit of seamless travel and easy connectivity to both airlines’ global networks. It is also part of Garuda’s program to be a global player,” he added.

The Jakarta-Perth flights will be operated by a two-class Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 12 seats in Business Class and 144 seats in Economy Class. – TradeArabia News Service