CCCS grants conditional approval to Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines cooperation

Airlines committed to maintain seat capacity and report data.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) has granted conditional approval for a proposed commercial cooperation between Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.

The approval comes after CCCS reviewed the airlines’ proposed collaboration, which involves coordination on pricing and capacity for their full-service operations — specifically on the highly trafficked Singapore-Kuala Lumpur (SIN-KUL) route.

The application was first submitted on 24 March 2023, and updated on 3 November 2023, to clarify that the cooperation applies only to the airlines’ full-service operations.

CCCS found that the cooperation could reduce competition due to coordination on pricing and seat capacity.

To address these concerns, the airlines submitted a set of commitments which include maintaining weekly seat capacity at pre-cooperation levels, proposing capacity increases only upon meeting certain performance targets, submitting annual operational data for their respective low-cost carriers on the SIN-KUL route, and appointing an independent auditor to monitor compliance with these commitments.

From February 11 to 4 March 2025, CCCS consulted industry stakeholders. No objections were raised.

CCCS also considered the upcoming exit of Jetstar Asia from the SIN-KUL route and concluded that the commitments were sufficient.

Based on this, CCCS has approved the cooperation with conditions.