Air India, Adria Airways ink codeshare pact

Air India and Adria Airways today signed a codeshare agreement which would help Indian travellers fly seamlessly to the Slovenian national carrier's wide network in Europe and North America.

The agreement was signed by Air India CMD Rohit Nandan and Adria President and CEO Mark Anzur in the presence of visiting Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Karl Viktor Erjavec and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh at the Ministry headquarters here.

Terming the agreement as one of strategic significance to Air India, Nandan said both carriers would fly into each other's countries in the next couple of years as they further expand their global operations.

He also sought Adria's support in Air India's renewed bid to gain membership of Star Alliance, expressing hope that the global airlines' grouping would take a decision on the matter "very soon".

A member of Star Alliance, Adria, along with other airline partners in Star Alliance, offers access to a global network of 27 airlines with more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries.

The Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister said the agreement was a small step towards the growing relationship between the two countries and would contribute to the growth of tourism and business relations.

The codeshare agreement came two months after the Air India CMD and other officials held detailed discussions with their counterparts in Adria Airways in the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana.

Officials said Air India's good connections at Frankfurt including those flown on a codeshare arrangement with Lufthansa, matched with Adria's operations to Adria's wide network in Europe.

In June 2012, Air India, Aerodrom Ljubljana and Adria had signed an MoU to forge greater cooperation in view of the aircraft compatibility between the two airlines and Air India's interest in operating out of Ljubljana airport.