Garuda, MAS sign code-sharing deal<\/p>\n
JIMBARAN, Bali (JP): Garuda Indonesia and Malaysia Airlines
\n(MAS) signed a code-sharing agreement on Friday, giving their
\nrespective passengers more scheduled weekly flights between the
\ntwo countries.<\/p>\n
Garuda commercial director Bachrul Hakim and MAS executive
\nvice president Dato' Bashir Ahmad signed the deal here in a
\nceremony at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.<\/p>\n
\"Under the agreement, Garuda can sell a certain amount of
\nseats or cargo space on MAS using Garuda's own flight number.
\nWhile MAS can also do the same with Garuda,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The agreement stipulates that both airlines can sell between
\n500 kilograms and 1.5 metric tons of cargo space and between 25
\nand 50 seats for each airlines' flights.<\/p>\n
Ahmad said the agreement would accommodate an anticipated
\nincrease in economic activity between the two countries in the
\nwake of their respective economic recoveries.<\/p>\n
\"We know the market will expand. What we are doing is
\nanticipating the soon-to-come expanding market,\" he said.<\/p>\n
MAS president Sri Tadjudin Ramli said MAS had experienced a
\nrecent surge in its flights to Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The airline has had a recent load factor of 70 percent for its
\nKuala Lumpur-Denpasar flights, he said.<\/p>\n
Its recent flights between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta also have
\nhad load factors of about 70 percent, while MAS' Kuala Lumpur-
\nMedan flights currently had load factors at above 80 percent, he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"We have had even greater improvement in the intercontinental
\nflight market, but the regional market recovery is also fine,\"
\nRamli said.<\/p>\n
The code-sharing arrangement is retroactive, taking effect
\nfrom Feb. 1. It covers the following routes, in both directions:
\nJakarta-Kuala Lumpur; Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar; Kuala Lumpur-
\nSurabaya; Medan-Kuala Lumpur; and Penang-Medan.<\/p>\n
MAS currently operates on all of the above routes, while
\nGaruda only operates both ends of the Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta route.<\/p>\n
Garuda, however, will resume its services on the Kuala Lumpur-
\nMedan route in April.<\/p>\n
Ahmad also said MAS would increase the number of its flights
\nbetween Kuala Lumpur and Denpasar from seven fights a week to ten
\nflights a week by mid-February.<\/p>\n
\"In the future we will further increase this route to twice a
\nday,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The code-sharing arrangement, at a later date, is also
\nexpected to include the Johor Baru-Denpasar route and the Johor
\nBaru-Surabaya route, Ahmad said.<\/p>\n
Garuda also has code-sharing agreements with a number of other
\nforeign airlines, namely Korean Airlines for Seoul-Jakarta
\nflights, China Airlines for Taipei-Jakarta and Taipei-Denpasar
\nflights and Silk Air for Singapore-Balikpapan flights.<\/p>\n
In the past, Garuda had the same arrangement with Swiss Air
\nfor Jakarta-Zurich flights, Garuda corporate secretary Pujobroto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
MAS, Malaysia's flag carrier, had a net profit of M$270
\nmillion (about US$70 million) in the first half of the current
\nfinancial year ending in March.<\/p>\n
\"It is a turnaround compared to the whole of the previous year
\nwhen we booked a net loss of M$400 million,\" Ramli said.<\/p>\n
He, however, expressed concern that oil, which accounts for
\nabout 30 percent of the airline's total operating cost, had
\ndoubled in price to almost US$30 per barrel.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot guarantee that in the second half (of the current
\nfiscal year) we will achieve the same level of net profit as the
\nfirst half, but we are confident we will be in the black,\" he
\nsaid.(udi)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garuda-mas-sign-code-sharing-deal-1447893297",
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