Air India gets extension to join Star Alliance

New Delhi: State carrier Air India has managed a further extension of its deadline for joining Star Alliance, one of the largest airline networks globally, to December 2010. Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav told FE from Brussels that Air India can now join the alliance by December 2010, as the deadline has been further extended from the earlier June 2010.
A common code for Indian Airlines and Air India is the major roadblock in way of the carrier's entry into the alliance, the membership of which was accepted two years ago, in December 2007. “The contract for the IT integration of the reservation system of both Indian Airlines and Air India will be awarded by the end of this month. Both the airlines are expected to operate on a common code between June and October next year,” he said.
The failure to join the Alliance has invited a lot of flak, as the carrier’s entry can give a significant boost to its operations. None of the other domestic airlines are part of any global airline alliance so far.
12/12/09 Surabhi Agarwal/Financial Express

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Categories: Foreign Dec 2009, NACIL Dec 2009, New Dec 2009