Air India will join Star Alliance, a group of 26 global airlines, in July this year. Confirming the development, the Alliance Chief Executive Officer, Mark Schwab, said the date of joining is yet to be decided. The CEOs of Alliance member airlines will meet in London on June 23, and are expected to give their vote of approval for Air India to join Star.

Rohit Nandan, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India, said the airline would complete all the requirements for joining the Alliance this month.

The airline is also working on a customer service improvement plan and intends to get an audit done by the International Air Transport Association to assess its services.

The Alliance membership is expected to result in several benefits for the airline and its passengers, including seeing Air India’s share on the India-US route increase to about 20 per cent, from about 13 per cent currently, within the first year itself.

The membership will also mean that Air India passengers travelling to the US will have easier access to more cities there, as they will be able to seamlessly travel on other Star Alliance member airlines’ flights going to America, an Alliance officer said. The India-US route is a key market for Air India.

In addition, Air India’s membership is also expected to see an enhancement of revenues earned by the airline as it gets access to more passengers and expands its global presence.

In December last year, decks were cleared for Air India to restart its integration with the Star Alliance, with a formal invitation being extended to the airline following a meeting of Chief Executives in Vienna.

Air India had been inducted into the Star Alliance in Beijing in December 2007. But in August 2011, the airline’s application for membership was put on hold for not meeting parameters contractually agreed to in 2007.

The Alliance, created in 1997 to better meet the needs of frequent international travellers, today serves over 1,300 airports globally with a combined fleet strength of over 4,700 aircraft.

Singapore Airlines, United, Air China, Air Canada, Swiss, Lufthansa and Turkish are among the 26 airlines which are members of the Alliance.

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