Oneworld prepares for major expansion in 2025 with two new airline members

The Oneworld global airline alliance is expecting 2025 to be a big year with the addition of two new full airline members joining the international airline partnership. The alliance is also due to see more branded airline lounges open across its partnership network as well as more airlines expressing their desire to join the alliance in the future.

2024 marked the 25th year since Oneworld was founded in 1999 by founding partners American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. These airlines have since been joined by Alaska Airlines, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, and Sri Lankan Airlines.  

The next airline scheduled to join Oneworld will be Muscat-based Oman Air in the second quarter of 2025. The airline is expected to become the 14th full member of the alliance on June 30, 2025, according to Oneworld sources. The carrier is undergoing a period of expansion itself with two new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners joining the fleet in 2024, with a possible return of flights to Singapore also being mooted by the carrier.

Mehdi Photos / ShutterstockFuture Oneworld bedfellow Qantas has already established a partnership with Oman Air in advance of the Middle Eastern carrier joining Oneworld. This will give both carriers advantages through codeshare links across their respective geographical regions and route networks.    

Following the addition of Oman Air, the 15th airline set to join Oneworld will be Fiji Airways in late 2025. The South Pacific carrier has been a Oneworld Connect member for the past five years in which time it has already developed partnerships with various current Oneworld partner airlines.  These relationships have been key to Fiji Airways’ securing its transition to full member status and its subsequent integration, the process of which will start immediately and will be completed “within the next twelve months,” according to a Oneworld statement issued back in June 2024.

Markus Mainka / ShutterstockBased at Nadi International Airport (NAN), Fiji Airways currently serves 26 destinations in 15 countries and territories globally, including the oneworld hubs at Sydney (SYD), Hong Kong (HKG), Los Angeles (LAX), and Tokyo (HND). Having first flown 73 years ago in 1951, the company now operates a fleet of aircraft comprising Airbus A350-900s (four), Airbus A330-200s (three), A330-300 (one), Boeing 737-800 (one) and 737 MAX 8 (five).  

As part of its process of joining Oneworld, Fiji Airways is also on track to roll out the AAdvantage loyalty program run by founding member American Airlines as its own rewards scheme.

Looking further ahead, several airlines are expected to show their hand in 2025 and declare an intention to join Oneworld. Hawaiian Airlines is widely tipped to state an intention to join Oneworld sometime in 2025, following the carrier’s $1.9bn buyout by Alaska Airlines, a current Oneworld member. The merger of the Seattle and Honolulu-based carriers will result in what Alaska describes as “a single operation with two public-facing brands, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines,” each operating from its respective hub.

EQRoy / ShutterstockOther airlines hotly tipped to join the alliance in the future include Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines which has kept a relatively low profile since it started operations in January 2020. To more effectively compete with other major airlines in the East Asian region such as Eva Air and China Airlines, it is thought that Starlux will need to join an airline alliance to strengthen its position on the international stage.

Lastly, should the International Airlines Group (IAG) prove successful in its attempt to purchase TAP Air Portugal in 2025, then the Lisbon-based airline could well join Oneworld sometime in 2026, subject to meeting Oneworld’s strict acceptance criteria.    

RELATED

Qatar Airways Executive takes 2 more Gulfstream G700 private jets

The post Oneworld prepares for major expansion in 2025 with two new airline members appeared first on AeroTime.

Go to Source