Published on April 13, 2026, by Bisnis.com
By Dany Saputra
Bisnis.com, JAKARTA — Danantara Indonesia is exploring potential collaborations between PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (GIAA) with several airlines from the Gulf countries.
CEO Danantara Indonesia Rosan Perkasa Roeslani said Danantara is open to various cooperation, including forming a joint venture, as mandated by President Prabowo Subianto.
“We’re open. We’re exploring all aspects, both with Saudi Arabian Airlines and yesterday with Emirates. We were in talks with Emirates, but then this incident [the war] happened. We also talked with Etihad,” he told reporters at the Senayan Parliament Complex, Jakarta, on Monday (13/4/2026).
Rosan said that the exploration of collaboration with various Gulf airlines is aimed, among other things, at achieving more efficient Hajj flights.
The Minister of Investment and Downstreaming said that Garuda Indonesia is also undergoing an internal transformation process. These efforts include improving human resources and operational efficiency.
Rosan said that the transformation process will take time. Furthermore, the rise in global aviation fuel prices has also impacted the aviation industry.
“Indeed, the increase in aviation fuel prices will certainly impact all airlines worldwide, including Garuda. Now, we have to figure out how to navigate this effectively and correctly, but this transformation process will certainly take time,” he said.
Previously, at a meeting on Wednesday (8/4/2026), President Prabowo assessed that the current operational pattern for Hajj transportation is still suboptimal. He highlighted the situation where planes carrying pilgrims from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia are fully booked but return empty.
“So far, Garuda planes have departed to carry Hajj pilgrims to the Holy Land and returned empty. This is uneconomical. The same is true for Saudi Arabia, returning Hajj pilgrims to Indonesia and returning empty,” he said in Jakarta on Wednesday (8/4/2026).
Therefore, the president is encouraging the formation of a joint venture between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia with 50% ownership each. This scheme is expected to optimize aircraft occupancy rates for both departure and return.
“Why not collaborate? Create a subsidiary that’s 50% Saudi Arabian, 50% Indonesian. The planes departing from Indonesia would be full, and the flights returning would be full. The price [of the Hajj] could be lowered further, and the time would be shorter,” Prabowo said. He emphasized that discussions on the plan must be carried out quickly.
The President emphasized the importance of concrete steps from Garuda Indonesia’s management to immediately follow up on the collaboration opportunity.
“We must work quickly. This government is working quickly. The Garuda CEO will meet with me later,” he said.