Air India May Become a Star Alliance Member by July

Air India, National carrier of India is likely to become a part of Star Alliance by July this year. If this alliance comes through then Air India will become the only Indian carrier to be a part of this 28-member Star Alliance Group. The airline is the procedure of completing all formalities and paper work required for it to gain entry into the Star Alliance club.

This alliance will help the debt-ridden Air India to boost its revenue by offering increased global connectivity with the help of other airlines, part of this alliance group. This alliance will not just aid the ailing airline but will also benefit passengers as they will be able to enjoy seamless connectivity, single ticket travel across airlines, access to airport lounges of both Star Alliance and its other partner airlines and earn miles too.

Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said we have completed 45 of the 64 requirements already. The remaining is mostly related to IT and we plan to complete the same by the end of May 2014. After which there is nothing that can stop us for being a partner with Star Alliance, world’s largest airline grouping company.

Mark F Schwab, CEO Star Alliance said, all the CEO's of Star member airlines will have an endorsement vote on the entry of Air India in a meeting held in London on June 22 or 23. Once the endorsement is done Air India will become a part of the group. The entire procedure will happen latest by July this year. All the safety reviews conducted on the airline have yielded positive results and we at Star Alliance are extremely happy with the progress that Air India has shown.

Ever since being invited by Star Alliance in 2007, Air India wanted to be a part of it. However it was reject three years back. To mark its presence in the global aviation industry, becoming a member of this group is a crucial step for Air India; as this membership implies better service standards, alliance with global leading carriers, access to new destinations and passengers.

At present Air India flies to 31 international and 59 domestic destinations. It has a total of 111 aircrafts, with its fleet comprising Boeing 737, 777, 747 and 787 Dreamliner’s, Airbus 319, 320, 321 and 330. It also has few ATR-42 and CRJ aircrafts

Established in 1997, Star Alliance comprises a group of 26 airlines including Air Canada, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss Air, Thai Airways and other major airlines across the globe.

Recently SriLankan Airlines on May 1 became a part on oneworld alliance, making it the first South Asian carrier to join a global alliance.