JAKARTA: Indonesia and Türkiye have taken a major step toward deepening their aviation ties, with both nations agreeing to expand civil aviation cooperation that will pave the way for new direct flight routes and stronger tourism and trade links.
The agreement was formalised during a bilateral aviation meeting held in Istanbul from October 22 to 23, led by Indonesia’s Air Transport Director Agustinus Budi Hartono. The session marked a follow-up to the discussions between President Prabowo Subianto and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the inaugural High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting in Bogor earlier this year.
Hartono said the talks concluded with the signing of two key documents, the record of discussion and the implementing arrangement, which serve as a foundation for expanding collaboration between the two countries’ aviation sectors.
Under the new arrangement, Indonesia will open additional direct routes from Türkiye to several major cities, including Yogyakarta, Majalengka, Manado, Medan, Balikpapan, Sorong, Kediri, and Lombok, complementing the existing connections to Jakarta and Denpasar. Türkiye, in turn, has approved plans to launch direct flights from Indonesia to Izmir and Bodrum, adding to the current destinations of Istanbul, Ankara, and Antalya.
Both governments also agreed to increase passenger traffic rights significantly, doubling the weekly flight quota from 14 to 32 under third and fourth freedom provisions. The move is expected to enhance connectivity and create greater flexibility for airlines from both countries to expand their services.
In a further boost to efficiency, Indonesia and Türkiye will update existing codeshare arrangements to enable partnerships between carriers from both nations and third countries, broadening their operational networks beyond the designated destinations.
The new pact also encourages airlines to make use of unutilized entitlements, such as flight frequencies and seat capacities, through commercial partnerships, a measure aimed at optimising available resources without waiting for new agreement revisions.
In addition, Türkiye has pledged to recruit more Indonesian pilots and cabin crew, expand cooperation in aircraft maintenance, and support promotional efforts to spotlight Indonesia’s tourism destinations to Turkish travellers and beyond.
The fast-tracked aviation partnership marks a new chapter in Indonesia–Türkiye relations, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening air connectivity, promoting tourism, and fostering economic growth between the two nations.
