Air India has signed a raft of partnership agreements with airlines in Europe, Central Asia and Africa, as it looks to expand its global network.
The national carrier signed a new codeshare agreement with Icelandair, adding its code to the latter’s flights between Reykjavik and eight European points including London Heathrow, Paris and Milan.
In turn, Icelandair will codeshare Air India-operated flights from Delhi and Mumbai to five European cities.
“This strategic partnership strengthens travel and trade ties between India and Iceland, offering passengers greater flexibility and choice while ensuring a seamless travel experience with convenient connections times, unified baggage allowances, and enhanced connectivity through major European hub airports,” Air India states.
The national carrier also expanded its bilateral codeshare agreement with Air Mauritius to include more cities in India and Africa.
Air India will place its code on Air Mauritius-operated flights between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Antananarivo in Madagascar and Mauritius. This is on top of an existing codeshare agreement covering Air Mauritius flights between Mauritius and Mumbai, Delhi and Reunion.
Air Mauritius will also add its code to Air India’s domestic flights from Mumbai and Delhi to cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
The two codeshare agreements were inked on the sidelines of the IATA annual general meeting in Delhi, where Air India also announced interline partnerships with four carriers in Europe and Central Asia.
The airlines are airBaltic, Bulgaria Air, Cypress Airways, as well as Uzbekistan Airways, covering flights from Air India’s European network to their respective countries. For Uzbekistan Airways, the partnership covers the airline’s flights between Tashkent and Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa.
“The partnerships will provide Air India guests seamless travel options to 16 more destinations across 6 countries in these regions, while providing easier access to India to the passengers of the respective partner airlines,” states Air India.
AIR INDIA LAUNCHES MANILA
Separately, Air India will launch direct flights between Delhi and Manila from 1 October. The five weekly flights will be operated by Airbus A321neos, says the Star Alliance operator.
The launch follows the Philippine government’s move to offer visa-free entry to Indian nationals, in a bid to spur tourism demand.
