China's antitrust regulator has approved Korean Air Co.'s integration with smaller local rival Asiana Airlines Inc., with approval yet to come from four countries, Korean Air said Tuesday. The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China has demanded the merged Korean Air-Asiana entity reduce its market share due to competition concerns, Korean Air said. In response, Korean Air submitted solutions to a possible monopoly on nine routes between the two countries. In January last year, Korean Air submitted documents to antitrust regulators in 14 countries for the review of its combination with Asiana. The company has received approval from 10 countries -- Australia, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Turkey, Taiwan, Malaysia, China and the Philippines -- so far for the integration while awaiting the go-ahead from Japan, Britain, the European Union and the United States. Korean Air, currently the world's 18th-largest airline by fleet, will become Asiana's biggest shareholder with a 63.9% stake if the acquisition is completed. In November 2020, Korean Air signed a deal to acquire the controlling stake in Asiana in a deal valued at 1.8t won ($1.5b) that would create the world's 10th-biggest airline by fleet.<br/>
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Travellers looking to visit Beijing can soon do so via a Singapore Airlines flight from Friday. It will be the first time a passenger flight is heading to the Chinese capital from Singapore since the pandemic disrupted travel in 2020. After close to three years, the national carrier is reinstating its Singapore-to-Beijing passenger service on Fridays, on a fortnightly basis. This comes three months after SIA reinstated flights from Beijing to Singapore on Sept 27. These flights operate every Tuesday and Friday. Flight services between Singapore and Beijing were suspended on March 28, 2020, at the height of the pandemic. An economy ticket from Singapore to Beijing this Friday with the return flight next Tuesday costs $4,053.nA ticket for a round trip that leaves for Beijing this Friday and returns to Singapore on Jan 10 costs $2,789. SIA also operates flights to and from Shanghai on Mondays and Saturdays. A check showed that a round-trip flight that departs for Shanghai this Saturday and returns to Singapore in the second week of January costs up to $5,791. An SIA spokesman said it also has flights to and from Chongqing, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Xiamen, but it has not resumed flight services to and from Guangzhou. “We will continue to monitor the travel demand and work closely with local authorities to gradually resume passenger flight services between Singapore and mainland China where feasible. China is an important market for the SIA Group, and we will be ready when the Chinese government further opens up to international air travel,” said the spokesman.<br/>
Portuguese flag carrier TAP Air Portugal has established a partnership with Benamôr, a historic Portuguese cosmetics and toiletries brand. The move brings the two companies together to proudly promote Portuguese products around the world through the airline's international network and domestically in Portugal. The new partnership will see Benamôr provide toiletries for TAP Air Portugal over the coming months. The deal includes the liquid soaps available on TAP aircraft, the creams contained in the amenity and washroom kits in the airline's business class, and the bath and beauty products available in the TAP lounge at Lisbon Airport. The airline expressed its excitement for the product launch and reaffirmed its commitment to promoting Portuguese products worldwide: "With this partnership, TAP not only provides its customers with high-quality Portuguese products, but also fulfils its role of promoting the best Portuguese brands and products internationally."<br/>