SINGAPORE: The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has conditionally approved the proposed commercial partnership between Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airlines.
The collaboration will cover scheduling, pricing, sales, and marketing, including expanded codesharing arrangements.
To address competition concerns, the airlines submitted commitments, including maintaining current seat capacity levels on the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route.
Additional capacity will be introduced only after meeting performance benchmarks.
An independent auditor will monitor compliance, and annual operational data for their low-cost carriers (LCCs) will be reported.
“Taking market developments into account, including the impending permanent cessation by Jetstar Asia Airways Pte Ltd, CCCS accepted the proposed commitments as being sufficient to address its competition concerns arising from the proposed cooperation,” the commission stated.
No objections were raised during the public consultation held from February 11 to March 4, 2025.
CCCS CEO Alvin Koh highlighted that the partnership could enhance connectivity and passenger benefits.
“The proposed commitments allow for flexibility to react to market developments and ensure that more flights will be added along the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur route as travel demand increases, which would translate to more travel options and better prices for passengers in the long run,” Koh said.
The airlines initially sought CCCS approval in March 2023, clarifying later that the cooperation would exclude their LCC subsidiaries, Scoot and Firefly.
CCCS, a statutory board under Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, oversees competition and consumer protection laws. – Bernama
