Japan’s ANA, JAL partner with major Indian airlines; code-sharing agreements reached between firms

Two major Japanese airline companies have recently announced partnerships with major Indian airlines amid an expected increase in passenger demand. All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. have agreed code-sharing flight operations with the Indian airlines to tap in to the Indian market. The country has a population of more than 1.4b and passenger numbers are expected to jump as the country is experiencing economic growth. JAL will begin code-sharing with IndiGo, the largest airline in India, on Oct. 27 on two routes, between Haneda Airport and Delhi and between Narita Airport and Bengaluru. Code-sharing allows multiple airlines to operate a single flight while each selling seats. Code sharing flights also allow airlines to consider routes operated by partners as their own, effectively increasing the number of destinations on offer. JAL also plans to operate code-sharing flights on domestic flights in India that are operated by IndiGo. This will allow for more convenient transfers for passengers traveling to major Indian cities such as Chennai which do not have direct services from Japan. Flyers will also be able to earn JAL mileage points. ANA in late May began joint operations with Air India, another major Indian airline. The code-sharing arrangement covers two ANA routes, between Haneda Airport and Delhi and between Narita Airport and Mumbai. A route operated by Air India between Narita Airport and Delhi is also included in the arrangement. ANA has said that from June to August, the number of passengers on their routes increased about 20% from a year ago because of the code-sharing agreement. Tsuneya Katagiri, ANA’s chief representative in India, said, “I want to expand the code-sharing also to domestic flights and capture demand of businesspersons from both countries as well as inbound tourists from India.”<br/>