Air India, Singapore airlines expand codeshare agreement to boost connectivity
- In Reports
- 03:55 PM, Oct 23, 2024
- Myind Staff
Air India and Singapore Airlines (SIA) have announced a significant expansion of their codeshare agreement, adding 11 Indian cities and 40 international destinations to their shared network. This marks the first major enhancement to their codeshare arrangements since 2010, offering passengers a wider range of travel options between India and Singapore, as well as numerous destinations beyond.
A codeshare agreement allows airlines to share services on each other’s flights, enabling customers to book seats on routes operated by the partner airline.
Starting October 27, 2024, Air India and Singapore Airlines will codeshare on flights between Singapore and the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai. This expansion will increase their weekly codeshare flights between India and Singapore from 14 to 56.
Singapore Airlines will also codeshare on Air India's domestic flights from Delhi to cities such as Amritsar, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Lucknow, and Varanasi. Additionally, it will codeshare on Air India's flights from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow and Thiruvananthapuram, as well as on flights between Kolkata and Guwahati.
In return, Air India customers will gain access to 29 new destinations across Singapore Airlines' network, including major cities in Australia (Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), Brunei (Bandar Seri Begawan), Cambodia (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap), Indonesia (Denpasar, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya), Japan (Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo-Haneda, Tokyo-Narita), South Korea (Busan, Seoul), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang), New Zealand (Auckland), the Philippines (Cebu, Manila), and Vietnam (Danang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City).The existing codeshare arrangements with Kuala Lumpur will also continue.
Moreover, Singapore Airlines customers will benefit from Air India’s international network, connecting through Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai to 12 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These include Copenhagen (Denmark), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Milan (Italy), Nairobi (Kenya), Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and three UK airports: Birmingham, London-Gatwick, and London-Heathrow.
Both airlines have expressed their intention to further expand codeshare routes in the future. Once regulatory approvals are secured, the newly expanded codeshare flights will become available for booking through both Air India and Singapore Airlines’ platforms.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, highlighted the benefits of the partnership, saying, " 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. We also look forward to welcoming Singapore Airlines customers on board our flights within India as well as westward to multiple points across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East via our hubs in India,"
Lee Lik Hsin, Chief Commercial Officer of Singapore Airlines, echoed these sentiments, emphasising the strong collaboration between the two airlines. " It 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’’.
This expansion strengthens the strategic partnership between Air India and Singapore Airlines, allowing passengers greater flexibility and connectivity across a vast range of destinations.
Comments