Garuda Indonesia will hold a ceremony on Tuesday to formally begin the process of becoming a member of the SkyTeam alliance.
The process is likely to take about a year, with Indonesia's flag carrier likely to become a full-fledged member of the alliance around early 2012.
Garuda follows similar recent agreements by Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines and Taiwan's China Airlines, in a clear signal that SkyTeam has placed Asia at the forefront of its expansion.
Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines and Vietnam Airlines are already members, while SkyTeam has also held talks with India's Jet Airways.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
