oneworld not planning membership expansion, 'the opportunity to add airlines is waning': CEO

oneworld CEO Nathaniel Pieper, in IATA's Airlines publication, commented (23-Jun-2024) on expanding the alliance, stating: "The opportunity to add airlines is waning". Mr Pieper said: "In another 25 years, oneworld won't consist of 30 airlines rather than the 15 it will have once Fiji Airways becomes a full member. The alliance won't be twice as big in those terms". He added: "The aim, in the near term at least, is to improve product consistency, ensure we are serving the right destinations for our customers, improve lounges, and so forth. It is in these softer areas where you will see the biggest changes". Mr Pieper said oneworld is "always looking at the white spaces on the map" and considering "the markets that travellers want to go that are not yet served by a oneworld partner". He added: "We believe that most of the white space will be covered by the organic growth of existing carriers. That is a better way forward, but it obviously depends on the aspirations of our carriers and their resources".