After China Eastern during the summer, the next arrivals of Shanghai Airlines, Taiwan's China Airlines and Indonesia's Garuda, Aerolineas Argentinas and, most recently and first Middle Eastern airlines to join the alliance, Air Liban (MEA) and Saudi Arabian Airlines were revealed in quick succession. Garuda and its hubs in Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) provide SkyTeam with an operational base in South-East Asia, while Saudi Arabian brings its hubs in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. In South America, Buenos Aires will become the hub thanks to the Argentinian carrier.
With China Airlines in Taipei, Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern in Shanghai, and China Southern's long-standing presence in Guangzhou and Beijing, SkyTeam has become the world's leading airline alliance in Greater China. Still on this continent, Garuda will bring to SkyTeam some thirty destinations, notably in South-East Asia and Australia. In addition, the Indonesian carrier, which has ordered some sixty new aircraft, is back in Europe with service to Amsterdam and plans to strengthen its intercontinental network over the next three years with routes to Frankfurt, London, Paris and Rome, and probably Los Angeles.
Aerolineas Argentinas will add some 38 new destinations in South America to the SkyTeam network. With a fleet of 41 aircraft, the Argentinian airline has recently restructured, streamlining its fleet and network while launching routes to London and New York. It is due to take delivery of 11 new aircraft for its Americas network by 2012.
Skyteam continues to soar
The SkyTeam alliance intends to match Star Alliance in terms of market share, as demonstrated by the announcement of the integration of seven new airlines in just under six months!
