New Delhi [India], June 3 : Air India, India's leading global airline, on Tuesday announced that it has entered interline partnerships with four major airlines from emerging markets, significantly enhancing connectivity to Europe, particularly the Baltic region and parts of Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
The partnerships will provide Air India guests seamless travel options to 16 more destinations across 6 countries in these regions while making India easier to access for the passengers of the respective partner airlines, the company said in a release.
Air India signed these interline agreements with Airbaltic, Bulgaria Air, Cyprus Airways, and Uzbekistan Airways on the sidelines of the ongoing 81st IATA AGM in New Delhi, it said.
The new partnerships further strengthen Air India's position as a global connector, enabling a passenger to travel across continents with a single-ticket itinerary that combines Air India flights with those of its partner airlines as well as coordinated baggage allowance & handling.
The airline, airBaltic, provides access to Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia), and Vilnius (Lithuania) via Air India's European gateways at Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London Gatwick, Milan-Malpensa, Vienna, Zurich, or Dubai.
Bulgaria Air provides access to Sofia via Air India's gateways at London Heathrow, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Milan, Zurich, and Tel Aviv, supporting travel to the vibrant Eastern European city. Air India guests can also make further connections from Sofia to other Bulgarian cities such as Varna and Burgas.
Cyprus Airways provides access to Larnaca (Cyprus) via Air India's European gateways at Paris, Milan, and Dubai, opening one of the Mediterranean's key cultural and economic hubs for Indian travellers.
Uzbekistan Airways provides access to Tashkent from Delhi, Mumbai, and Goa-Mopa (GOX), as well as further onward connections from Tashkent to Bukhara, Qarshi, Nukus, Urgench, Termez, Samarkand, Fergana, and Namangan.
Conversely, Air India will provide convenient access to more than 30 Indian cities to the customers of its four artner airlines, including but not limited to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, and Kochi, the release added.
"These four new interline partnerships significantly enhance Air India's global reach and open seamless pathways to vibrant cities across some of the most important emerging markets of today," said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India. "Our partnerships with airBaltic, Bulgaria Air, Cyprus Airways, and Uzbekistan Airways, bring more travel options and smoother journeys for our growing base of customers worldwide as well as reinforce India's rising status as a key global aviation hub."