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Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines substantially expand codeshare agreement
November 19th 2021
Easing border restriction have allowed Malaysia Airlines (MAB) and Singapore Airlines (SIA) to reactivate and significantly expand their codeshare arrangement as they develop a wide-ranging joint venture agreement signed in 2019. Read More » The existing codeshare between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur will be expanded to include 15 destinations in Malaysia, seven in Europe and two in South Africa. The announcement comes after the decision was made to launch a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between the two countries from November 29 and continue the gradual reopening of other international borders. From November 29, SIA customers will be able to progressively connect on MAB services out of Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar, Bintulu, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Terengganu, Kuantan, Kuching, Labuan, Langkawi, Miri, Penang, Sandakan, Sibu, and Tawau. Starting on January 1, MAB passengers will be able to connect on SIA’s flights from Singapore to Barcelona, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Moscow, Munich, Rome and Zurich as well as Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa. The airlines said other points in their networks would be progressively added to the codeshare agreement. The codeshare expansion was a result of a commercial agreement signed in 2019 aimed at allowing the partners to coordinate flight schedules, offer joint fare products, align corporate programs and develop frequent flyer tie-ups. Both carriers will explore joint tourism marketing initiatives and multi-stop itineraries so customers can travel to more destinations in Malaysia through Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. “The expanded cooperation between Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines coincides with the launch of Vaccinated Travel Lanes between Singapore and Malaysia and will offer enhanced connectivity and greater convenience when customers travel to meet their loved ones or fly for business,’’ said SIA CEO, Goh Choon Phong. “It also will help to boost the tourism industries in both countries, as well as the wider Southeast Asia region.” MAB group chief executive, Izham Ismail, said the VTL announcement was timely given the upcoming festive season. “We look forward to more VTLs for Malaysia so we can safely revive travel globally,” he said. “Our codeshare expansion with SIA to Europe and South Africa could not happen at a better time. We are especially grateful for the synergy and warm relationship between the two airlines that has made this partnership possible.”
