Competition regulators have given draft approval for an affiliation agreement between Emirates and FlyDubai and a commercial alliance between Etihad and Air Berlin.
Under the Emirates plan, the airlines will coordinate operations on international flights and cargo between Australia and Dubai and on “behind and beyond” Emirates and Flydubai services.
Etihad and Air Berlin meanwhile will coordinate international flights between Australia and Germany via Abu Dhabi. Codeshares are already in place for Air Berlin passengers flying from Germany through Abu Dhabi and onto Australia.
The draft approval from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) follows interim authorisation given by the regulator in May.
Interested parties will now be invited to comment on the ruling.
Meanwhile, the ACCC has also proposed to grant approval to Star Alliance for its Coporate Plus, Conventions Plus and Meetings Plus programs for eight years.
It would allow Star Alliance carriers to jointly offer discounted fares and incentives to corporate customers and conference organisers “under one contract”.
The ACCC had previously given the go ahead for Corporate and Conventions Plus with the programs due to expire on August 9.
“The ACCC has therefore granted interim authorisation for these programs to continue and for Meetings Plus to commence while the ACCC completes its consideration of the substantive application for authorisation for all of the programs,” the regulator said.
