Malaysia Airlines Oneworld Joining Ceremony – Alan Joyce

It’s great be here in Kuala Lumpur on a significant day for Malaysia Airlines and oneworld.

Bruce Ashby has spoken about the vital role that global alliances play in today’s aviation industry.

From the Qantas point of view, alliances have never been more important.

Partnerships between airlines increase choice and deliver benefits for

customers in a way that no one carrier can achieve. They are essential if airlines are to remain competitive in today’s dynamic and volatile global economy.

Qantas has always understood the power of alliances, which is why we

became a founding member of oneworld in 1999, along with American

Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific.

The aviation world has changed since then – but if anything, alliances have become even more important.

We have seen the rise of commercial joint ventures which bind carriers more closely together than simple code sharing.

As Qantas’ alliance network has grown – and evolved – we have extended our links with our oneworld partners, such as American Airlines, LAN and Japan Airlines.

At the same time, we have established close partnerships with airlines outside oneworld.

That is the nature of aviation in the twenty first century. We are seeing the emergence of a sophisticated, multi-layered global alliance network, and that’s fantastic for international travellers.

In this environment oneworld is well positioned for success.

Oneworld’s growth strategy has been based on quality.

As Bruce has said, oneworld is a group of like-minded, customer-focused premium carriers – not a restrictive club.

It is to oneworld’s great credit that it enables members to build strategic partnerships outside the group, recognising that a more pragmatic approach results in a strong, diverse core alliance.

The oneworld network now spans more than 800 destinations and offers compelling shared benefits for our frequent flyers.

Oneworld’s major hubs are global cities at the heart of international trade, tourism and business.

And in recent years there been some excellent additions, each of which has given the alliance a new dimension – with more to come.

Today we welcome Malaysia Airlines, an airline which very much fits the oneworld mould.

An airline with a rich history and a clear vision for the future.

An airline with an extensive network across South East Asia and beyond.

And a winner of multiple industry awards for product and service.

Malaysia will join Qantas as the second A380 operator in oneworld, which reflects its ambitious fleet renewal program.

As Bruce has outlined, Malaysia will extend oneworld’s reach in the world’s fastest growing aviation region, the Asia Pacific.

Oneworld, in turn, will give Malaysia access to a truly global customer proposition.

Qantas has been delighted to serve as your oneworld sponsor, supporting your team through the alliance implementation program.

The Malaysia Airlines team have been a pleasure to work with, and they’ve done an outstanding job – you can be proud of them all.

I look forward to working with you around the oneworld table, and I know that sentiment is shared by all of us here today.

Once again, on behalf of the entire alliance, I’m very pleased to welcome Malaysia Airlines to oneworld.