Han Ximin ximhan@126.com SHENZHEN AIRLINES, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary, officially became the 27th member of the Star Alliance last Thursday. Joining the Star Alliance puts the airline, the fifth largest in China, in elite company and is expected to improve its competitiveness in operation, services, sales and brand promotions. “In the era of globalization, the competition between airlines is becoming fiercer. It is impossible for a single company to monopolize flights around the world. So joining the Star Alliance is an effective way of helping an airline expand,” Feng Gang, president of Shenzhen Airlines, said at a meeting Thursday. “The accession into Star Alliance will help us expand our network throughout Asia and the world,” Feng said. With 122 aircraft and 2,730 flights a week covering 64 destinations, Shenzhen carries an estimated 18 million passengers a year. It will add 17 aircraft next year and the fleet will reach 170 by the end of 2015. The airline is now the second in the Pearl River Delta to enter the Star Alliance. Flights under three global alliance organizations, namely Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld, had taken up 80 percent of the flight market. Air China, which is also a member of the alliance, owns 51 percent of Shenzhen Airlines and has sponsored the accession. Star had two Chinese members until Oct. 2010, when Shanghai Airlines left the alliance. Shanghai Airlines and its new owner, China Eastern Airlines, joined rival SkyTeam in June 2011. Adding Shenzhen Airlines will help the alliance regain what it has lost since Shanghai Airlines left. However, Star will still have less presence in China than SkyTeam, which has China Southern Airlines. Star Alliance will command a 26.5 percent market share in China after Shenzhen Airlines joins the grouping (up from 21 percent), while SkyTeam will consolidate its position as the leading alliance in China, from the current share of 37.5 percent to 44.3 percent after Xiamen Airlines joins. Three world airline alliances Star Alliance is the world’s first and largest global airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded in 1997, Star Alliance has since grown considerably and now has 28 member airlines with more than 21,100 daily flights combined. These flights reach 1,356 airports in 193 countries, with an annual passenger number of 678.5 million. Air China and Shenzhen Airlines are members of the alliance. SkyTeam, founded in 2000, is now second to Star Alliance and is ahead of Oneworld with 19 carriers from five continents and China Southern Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines are the members of the alliance. SkyTeam flies to 1,000 destinations in 187 countries, and operates some 15,500 daily flights with a combined fleet of over 4,100 aircraft, including associate carriers. Oneworld is the third largest global airline alliance with its central management team, Oneworld Management Company, based in New York City. Founded in 1999, Oneworld now covers over 870 destinations in 146 countries. It operates over 9,300 daily flights, carrying 335 million passengers on a combined fleet of over 2,400 aircraft. | 