Air India and Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced the expansion of their codeshare agreement, incorporating 11 cities in India and 40 international destinations. This comes at a key moment for Air India, which has been consolidating its global presence following its acquisition by the Tata Group in 2022, while it approaches significant milestones in its merger with Vistara, partially owned by Singapore Airlines (which holds 25.1% of the new group).
Starting from October 27, 2024, Air India and Singapore Airlines will codeshare on flights between Singapore and the Indian cities of Bengaluru and Chennai, increasing their weekly codeshare services between the two countries from 14 to 56 flights. In addition, Singapore Airlines will add domestic Air India flights to its network, including routes from Delhi and Mumbai to cities such as Amritsar, Coimbatore, Jaipur, and others, further strengthening its presence in the Indian market.
Meanwhile, Air India customers will gain access to 29 destinations within Singapore Airlines’ network: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney (Australia), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Cambodia), Denpasar, Jakarta, Medan, and Surabaya (Indonesia), Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo-Haneda, and Tokyo-Narita (Japan), Busan and Seoul (South Korea), Kuala Lumpur and Penang (Malaysia), Auckland (New Zealand), Cebu and Manila (Philippines), as well as Danang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam). This also includes existing codeshare agreements with Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Similarly, Singapore Airlines passengers will be able to connect to international Air India flights from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai to key cities in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa: Copenhagen (Denmark), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Milan (Italy), Nairobi (Kenya), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Jeddah and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Colombo (Sri Lanka), as well as Birmingham, London-Gatwick, and London-Heathrow (UK).
Both airlines plan to progressively expand their codeshare destinations as regulatory approvals are obtained. Codeshare flights will be available for purchase through the usual booking channels of each airline.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, stated that this expansion is «a continuation of our efforts to provide our customers with more options and a broader global network.» He added that the expanded agreement with Singapore Airlines will enable better connectivity to destinations in Southeast Asia, the Far East, and Australasia.
For his part, Lee Lik Hsin, Chief Commercial Officer of Singapore Airlines, emphasized that this expansion reflects the «commitment to meet the strong demand for air travel between India and Singapore,» highlighting the collaboration between both airlines to offer greater connectivity in the Indian market.
