China Southern Airline, the mainland's biggest carrier by capacity, yesterday signed up to become the Skyteam Alliance's second Asian partner, starting a process that should see the airline gain full membership late next year.
Joining Skyteam, the world's No2 alliance by passenger volume, is expected to speed the expansion of China Southern's international network of destinations before the 2008 delivery of its first 555-seat Airbus A380, an aircraft not suitable for use in China's present domestic market.
??Joining Skyteam will expand our international route network and flight density and will allow our airline to make full use of [the alliance's] extensive network to extend China Southern flights throughout the world,?? chairman Liu Shaoyong said yesterday in Guangzhou, where the signing was held.
The airline, which is expected to take delivery of its first A380 before the start of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, will become the 11th member for Skyteam, which controls about 22 per cent of global air traffic.
The deal, essentially a memorandum of understanding, allowed the carrier to begin a process which will bring aspects such as safety processes, code-sharing and e-ticketing systems up to the alliance??s standard of compliance.
It is expected to take about 14 months.
'One of the issues we will have, and all the Chinese airlines have, is aligning the standard of information technology,' said Dominique Patry, vice-president alliances for Air France, a Skyteam member. 'It is highly likely that will take up the most time.'