On June 27^th, the two Asian companies Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a strategic alliance from a codeshare agreement which covers flights between Singapore and Malaysia. The deal could include a significant extension of codeshare flights as well as enhancements on the frequent flyer program front. The strengthened cooperation could also cover cargo and maintenance. All these modifications are subject to obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals. A formal agreement is intended to be finalized in the coming months and will also include SIAs’ subsidiaries SilkAir and Scoot, as well as Firefly, which is MAB’s subsidiary.

“SIA and MAB operate in a region with a rapidly growing air travel market, presenting significant growth opportunities for both carriers. Both airlines have extensive operations within ASEAN, as well as large networks that cover many other parts of the world. We are proud to announce this MoU to expand the scope of our cooperation, increase global connectivity for Malaysia and Singapore, and enhance our service offerings for our customers”, said SIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Goh Choon Phong.