Kingfisher, BA in talks for code-sharing in India

Mumbai/New Delhi: Liquor baron-turned airline promoter Vijay Mallya is negotiating an arrangement with British Airways that would allow Europe’s second-largest carrier to book its passengers on Kingfisher flights within India. These arrangements, so-called code-sharing agreements allowing one airline to make travel arrangements for its customers, are common in the aviation industry but would be the first such agreement between a private Indian carrier and a foreign airline for domestic routes.
Kingfisher will soon seek the regulatory approval from India’s civil aviation authorities, if the talks prove successful. A civil aviation ministry official confirmed that regulators had been sounded out. “Kingfisher has enquired about the possibility of code-sharing with British Airways on domestic routes. It is, however, yet to formally write to us on this,” he said on condition of anonymity.
A spokesperson for Kingfisher said the airline is in talks with international carriers without naming any. “We are in discussion with a few airlines on possible code-sharing and we have made informal inquiries with the ministry of civil aviation,” he said in response to a query from ET.
The proposal, if cleared by Indian regulators, would be a major liberalisation of rules governing civil aviation in India because all other airlines would also benefit. Kingfisher Airlines recently received permission to operate 14 flights from India every day compared to the seven earlier.
22/02/10 Manisha Singhal & Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: Foreign Feb 2010, Kingfisher Feb 2010