Air India, Singapore Airlines expand codeshare partnership by adding 11 Indian, 40 global destinations | Business News
Air India and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have expanded their codeshare agreement by adding 11 Indian cities and 40 international destinations, marking the first extensive expansion of codeshare arrangements between the two carriers since 2010. The expanded codeshare network will be rolled out from October 27, and both airlines plan to progressively include more destinations under the arrangement.
The announcement comes ahead of Vistara’s merger with Air India, which will result in SIA holding a minority stake in the enlarged Air India. Currently, SIA holds 49 per cent stake in Vistara with the Tata group holding 51 per cent. After the merger, SIA will own 25.1 per cent stake in Air India. There merger and the consequent shareholding of SIA in Air India is expected to lead to more synergies between the airlines and the codeshare expansion may be seen as a step in that direction.
Under a codeshare agreement, an airline can market tickets on flights operated by a partner airline, thus giving the option of a wider and more enhanced network and more connections to its flyers, apart from streamlined ticketing, check-in, and baggage services.
“From 27 October 2024, Air India and SIA will codeshare on each other’s flights, between Singapore and the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, increasing their total weekly scheduled codeshare services between the countries to 56 from 14,” Air India and SIA said in a joint release.
SIA will codeshare on Air India’s domestic flights between Delhi and Amritsar, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Lucknow, and Varanasi, between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as between Kolkata and Guwahati.
Air India customers will be able to access 29 destinations across SIA’s network. These are Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney in Australia, Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia, Denpasar, Jakarta, Medan, and Surabaya in Indonesia, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo-Haneda, and Tokyo-Narita in Japan, Busan and Seoul in South Korea, Kuala Lumpur and Penang in Malaysia, Auckland in New Zealand, Cebu and Manila in the Philippines, as well as Danang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
SIA customers will be able to connect to Air India’s international services from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai to 12 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These are Copenhagen, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and Milan in Europe, Nairobi in Kenya, Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Colombo in Sri Lanka, and Birmingham, London-Gatwick, and London-Heathrow in the United Kingdom.
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Subject to regulatory approvals, the codeshare flights will be progressively made available for sale through Air India and SIA’s respective booking channels.
“This is a continuation of our effort to offer our guests more choice and an extended global network. Air India and Singapore Airlines have been longtime partners, and with this expanded scope of our codeshare agreement, we are excited to offer our guests greater connectivity to destinations across South East Asia, the Far East, and Australasia,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India.
Lee Lik Hsin, Chief Commercial Officer, Singapore Airlines, said: “It (expansion of codeshare network) demonstrates our commitment to meeting the high demand for air travel between India and Singapore and beyond, and contributing to the growth of both aviation markets. Adding Air India’s domestic network to our codeshare arrangements will also offer our customers enhanced connectivity and convenience in India, which is a key market for the SIA Group.”
