Singapore Airlines (SQ, Singapore Changi) is in early talks with Air France (AF, Paris CDG) over a possible joint-strategic partnership France's La Tribune has reported.
Executives from the Singaporean carrier are in Paris this week to negotiate the terms of the deal which, at the least, may include a codeshare agreement on each other's daily Singapore Changi-Paris CDG service with the possibility of extending it to include connecting flights from Singapore and Paris.
However, the exact terms of the partnership have yet to be established as both of the carriers belong to different alliances (Air France with Skyteam and Singapore Airlines with Star Alliance).
Star Alliance is reportedly opposed to its members cooperating with carriers from other alliances allowing them only to do so on specific routes or in certain markets where no other Star Alliance member operates. Singapore Airlines has requested a waiver and hopes to secure an agreement with Air France later this summer.
Faced with the Gulf carriers' increasing supremacy in the Asia-Europe market, Singapore Airlines last year signed a partnership agreement with another Star Alliance member, Lufthansa (LH, Frankfurt International), with the two carriers pledging to operate key routes between Singapore and Europe on a joint-venture basis, in addition to significantly expanding codeshare ties and deepening commercial co-operation.
