In a bid to reinforce their position in the Indian Ocean, airlines Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles, Air Madagascar, Air Austral and Inter Ile Air have signed a historic, multilateral cooperation agreement known as the Alliance Vanille, or Vanilla Alliance.

The mutually beneficial pact was signed earlier this week in Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, and marks a turning point for connectivity in the region. It aims to bring significant improvements in air connectivity within countries in the Indian Ocean as well as internationally by capitalising on each airlines’ strengths and synergies. All signatories commit to defending their common interests and improving overall regional competitiveness, while working towards a common goal of promoting commercial trade and offering passengers a wider choice of flights.

First priorities for the new alliance are to: - Work on the development of attractive fares for the passenger

- Schedule connectivity

- Optimise code sharing with a view to offering more destinations

- Joint optimisation of resources: fleet and airport facilities