Air India, SAA sign code-share agreement

National air-carrier Air India and South African Airways (SAA), have signed a code-share agreement, which they said would improve travel options between their respective countries.

The agreement allows Air India passengers to code-share on SAA's route between Johannesburg and Mumbai, as well as on the domestic sectors between Johannesburg-Durban and Johannesburg-Cape Town, a press release issued here today said.

SAA, in return, will code-share on Air India's domestic operations between Mumbai and Delhi as well as operations between Bangalore, Chennai, Trivandrum and Hyderabad to Mumbai, the release said.

The partnership was effective from June 18 and allows for improved and expanded connectivity between each other's networks.

"Adding Air India as a code-share partner will provide our passengers with better and more convenient connections to key destinations in India. We are looking forward to working closely with Air India to offer further travel benefits as well as seamless access to even more cities overtime," SAA's Head of Business Development Jason Krause said.

SAA presently flies four times per week between Johannesburg and Mumbai.

"The code-share with South African Airways has provided Air India with an opportunity to establish its presence in the South African market once again, after Air India had withdrawn its own operations from South Africa in February 1997," Air India's Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav said.

"We also look forward to expanding this code-share eventually to offer as wide an access on each other's network as possible," Jadhav added.

In Africa, Air India presently flies only to Nairobi, on a thrice-weekly basis, the release said.