The Indian government has reportedly refused permission for United Airlines to codeshare with Emirates on routes from India.
The government has cited the fact that such arrangements are not covered by a traffic rights agreement between India and Dubai as the reason for its refusal of the request.
The development could jeopardise the landmark arrangement signed between the two airlines last year which would have enhanced their network to India, the Economic Times (ET) reported.
Code-sharing is a normal practice in the airline industry, and allows airlines to jointly market a route, helping them to expand their network and help fill their planes.
“United approached the Indian government asking for permission to put their code on our flights from India but hasn’t been allowed by the government to do so. So as much as difficult it is, that’s the way,” airline president Tim Clark (below) told ET in response to its query on the issue.
The Indian authorities have reportedly argued that the existing bilateral agreement with the UAE does not let any other airline come in between and be a part of a codeshare arrangement.
United Airlines expands reach with Emirates codeshare
The two airlines announced a codeshare deal in September 2022, under which the US carrier could sell seats on Emirates flights.
The American airline can do it on 27 destinations and 8 of these are coming under India.
Another segment of the deal is that United Airlines can put their codes on the Emirates aircraft. This will allow the airline to get a share of all the sold tickets. This is a huge step to increase the airlines’ visibility and network all around.
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