Singapore Airlines is making further headlines in the aviation world.
It is already moving with its Tata joint venture Vistara to compete with Emirates and Etihad on the India-Europe-United States routes. This includes the purchase of more aircraft from Boeing and Airbus, according to Bloomberg on Thursday.
Emirates and Etihad now dominate flights between India and Europe and the US.
SIA is also believed to be in talks with All Nippon Airways for an extended joint venture partnership. The talks are centred on a possible venture that will start next year.
Reports say the airlines may seal the deal as early as this month. The Nikkei Asian Review said the updated partnership will focus exclusively on Asia for the time being.
Both airlines are already collaborating on intercontinental routes.
Nikkei says the existing code-sharing agreement lets ANA and SIA to sell seats on each other’s routes. This, in turn, allows ANA customers to book itineraries with connections in Singapore or to cities ANA does not serve.Â
It allows customers to fly without having to buy a separate ticket.
ANA has joint venture partnerships with Star Alliance carriers United Airlines and Lufthansa. SIA collaborates with Air New Zealand, Lufthansa and Scandinavian Airlines.
Last October, SIA and Malaysia Airlines inked a wide-ranging commercial agreement. It came at a time when MAS was in search of an investor/partner, with talk that AirAsia could become that elusive partner.
Nikkei reported that SIA’s push for greater collaboration with ANA was part of its efforts to get ahead in the increasingly crowded South-east Asian market.
If the partnership goes through, there will be more flight options for passengers. -/TISG