By Gaurav Raghuvanshi
SINGAPORE--Member airlines of the Star Alliance network have restarted the process of adding Indian flag carrier Air India to the global partnership that allows passengers on member airlines to connect on each other's flights.
"Star Alliance has long held the opinion that India is such an important aviation market that it should be fully represented in the Alliance," Mark Schwab, the chief executive of Star Alliance, said in a statement Monday.
Air India was originally accepted as a future member of Star Alliance in December 2007, but the integration process was halted in 2011 as the Indian flag carrier was focused on its merger with Indian Airlines, a domestic carrier. The two state-owned carriers merged in February 2011.
"The market in India is now showing signs of stabilization...Air India has successfully completed its merger with Indian Airlines and is building up a new fleet that forms the basis for a much improved level of service," said Mr. Schwab. "This is why we believe the time is now right to recommence the integration process."
Star Alliance members include Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways International, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa-SWISS. The Star Alliance network offers over 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries, according to the statement.
Write to Gaurav Raghuvanshi at gaurav.raghuvanshi@dowjones.com
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