)
Air India today formally became the 27th member of Star Alliance, opening up its domestic network in the fifth largest aviation market to the global airlines grouping's passengers the world over.
Air India would add about 400 daily flights and over 40 new destinations in India to the 27-member Alliance network of over 18,500 daily flights to 1,316 airports in 195 countries.
With Air India joining it, the Alliance's market share in India grows to 30%, posing a challenge especially to Gulf carriers in particular which take away a considerable number of Indian passengers to Europe and North America.
The biggest growth would come from Air India's home market which has up to now been served by 13 Star Alliance members flying to 10 destinations and holding a 13% market share.
An Air India aircraft bearing the Star Alliance logo and livery was unveiled by the grouping's Chief Executive Mark Schwab and of Air India CMD Rohit Nandan at the induction ceremony at the IGI Airport, which is the airline's hub.
"This is an important day for us. We have said for many years that we needed a strong home carrier in the Indian market and by welcoming Air India to our Star Alliance family, we have achieved this goal," Schwab said after the ceremony.
Nandan said "from today, we open up a completely different world for our passengers, who can now travel to over 1,300 destinations right across the network and enjoy world-class service, better connectivity and seamless travel wherever they go."
Globally, passengers further benefit from a wider choice on routes connecting North America, Europe, Asia and Australia via the Indian Subcontinent.
Some Air India flights would be included in the Star Alliance Circle Pacific Fare which allows circular round-trips covering the Asian countries bordering the Pacific, the main international hub airports on the Pacific Coast of Canada and the USA, as well as the South Pacific, mainly Australia and New Zealand.
