Airlines
China Southern Airlines May Join oneworld Alliance
China Southern Airlines could join up for the Oneworld Alliance.
According to those familiar with the situation, the Global airline alliance Oneworld is in talks to include China Southern Airlines in its membership. The largest airline in the country, China Southern, has hubs in Beijing and the southern city of Guangzhou, where it is based.
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By having it join Oneworld, other member airlines may get useful access to what, before Covid, was one of the aviation markets that was expanding the quickest worldwide.
Following its separation from rival alliance SkyTeam in 2019, China Southern has been establishing relationships with a number of airlines, many of which are Oneworld members. American Airlines and Qatar Airways each own about 5% of China Southern, which also has a strong business relationship with British Airways and a codeshare arrangement with Finnair.
Oneworld’s spokesman stated, “With regard to additional potential members, at any time, we are in contact with new candidates but do not comment on any specifics until those negotiations have matured to the point where public announcements can be made.”
The pandemic-related recovery of international travel has made alliances even more crucial by providing worldwide connection for airlines and their customers, it was said.
