The FINANCIAL — Singapore Airlines (SIA) on December 12 welcomed the Competition Commission of Singapore’s (CCS) approval of its proposed joint venture with the Lufthansa Group.
The CCS decision is another step that will enable the two airline groups to build an integrated alliance, with an expanded network and seamless travel connectivity for customers. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recently granted its approval for the partnership, according to Singapore Airlines.
SIA CEO Mr Goh Choon Phong said: “We welcome the approval from the Competition Commission of Singapore and look forward to working with Lufthansa Group to bring more benefits to customers through harmonisation of our respective networks. The joint venture with Lufthansa Group will provide an attractive proposition to travellers, with unparalleled network connectivity between Europe and the Asia-Pacific. It is yet another example of how partnerships with other airlines enable us to provide more options to our customers which we would otherwise not be able to provide on our own.”
Lufthansa Group CEO Mr Carsten Spohr said: ”We appreciate the endorsement of the joint venture between Singapore Airlines and the Lufthansa Group by the Competition Commission of Singapore. This joint venture will allow the two world-leading airlines to optimise their premium services in a fiercely competitive environment for the benefit of our global customer base. Together the Lufthansa Group and Singapore Airlines will be able to offer even better connections and services throughout Europe and Southeast Asia than are already available. The partnership with Singapore Airlines is an excellent addition and an important pillar of our global joint venture network.”
SIA and Lufthansa signed a wide-ranging partnership agreement in November 2015, aimed at expanding codeshare ties, aligning corporate programmes to strengthen the proposition to corporate customers and deepening commercial co-operation in key markets in Europe, Southeast Asia and Australia.
In addition to SIA and Lufthansa, the agreement includes SIA subsidiary SilkAir, and Lufthansa subsidiaries SWISS and Austrian Airlines.
