American Airlines and IndiGo on Tuesday, September 28, announced that they have entered into a codeshare agreement that allows the former to sell seats on the Indian carrier's flights operating on 29 routes. "The codeshare, which will require U.S. and Indian governments' approvals, is expected to begin in October, as American Airlines launches a new service between New York (JFK) and Delhi on October 31 this year and between Seattle (SEA) and Bengaluru on January 4, 2022," the joint statement mentioned.
The one-way codeshare agreement will place American's code on 29 of IndiGo's domestic routes, providing a convenient option for American Airlines customers to travel within India after landing in Bengaluru or Delhi.
This means that once the one-way codeshare agreement comes into force, American Airlines will be able sell seats -- on its distribution system -- of IndiGo flights on the 29 selected routes.
In a two-way codeshare agreement, each airline on its distribution system can sell seats of other's flights. Currently, IndiGo has a two-way codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines and a one-way codeshare partnership with Qatar Airways.
Vasu Raja, Chief Revenue Officer, American Airlines, said, "Whether our customers are traveling for business or pleasure, this new partnership makes it easy to reach all four corners of India."
"Today we're adding 29 new routes to our map as a result of this agreement, providing customers with even more options around the globe," Raja mentioned.
IndiGo is India's largest airline by the number of passengers carried. With its fleet of 275+ aircraft, the airline operates more than 1,100 daily flights, connecting 70 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations.
Meanwhile, The coronavirus-induced suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till October 31, India's aviation regulator DGCA said on September 28. However, this will not be applicable to international all-cargo operations and flights under bilateral air bubble arrangements with selected countries.