KUALA LUMPUR: Batik Air Malaysia and Emirates have announced a codeshare partnership to offer various travel options to Southeast Asia destinations.
Batik Air group strategic director Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy said the codeshare allows Emirates to access five domestic Malaysian cities and three regional Southeast Asian destinations operated by the airline.
"This initiative not only amplifies Batik Air's network connectivity but also provides Emirates' travellers with the opportunity to explore captivating new destinations in Malaysia and Southeast Asia," Chandran said at the codeshare partnership event here today.
Also present were Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and Lion Air Group founder Rusdi Kirana.
Emirates will codeshare with Batik Air- operated flights to Penang, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, Johor Bahru, Denpasar, Jakarta and Singapore.
Passengers of the Dubai-based carrier will also have an option of a stopover in Kuala Lumpur before flying to their final destinations.
Emirates senior vice president of commercial operations (Far East) Orhan Abbas said it will also offer eight additional destinations operated by Batik Air via Kuala Lumpur for interline transfers.
"Malaysia is an important destination in our Far East network and we're pleased to offer increased connectivity and more options for our customers to new and exciting destinations.
" "Through this partnership, we'll further expand our network reach to more than 1490 cities worldwide," Orhan said.
Chandran said the codeshare partnership will be expanded to more destinations in the future.
Loke said the Batik Air- Emirates partnership positions Malaysia as a central hub for international travel and commerce.
"Although the Transport Ministry doesn't directly oversee business and tourism, it's role as an enabler for three sectors are critical," he said.
He also said the Transport Ministry is committed to facilitate and support initiatives that can grow the these sectors in Malaysia.
Batik Air operates out of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1.
Emirates has been flying to Malaysia since October 1996 and currently operates 21 weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur from Dubai using a mix fleet of Boeing B777 and Airbus A380 aircraft.
The carrier currently has 30 codeshare, 11 intermodal and 118 interline partners, including Jakarta-based Lion Air Group and its units Batik Air and Batik Air Indonesia.