Romanian Flag Carrier Tarom Signs Skyteam Pre-Accession Deal

"Tarom will have to pay an annual fee of $200,000 after it is accepted, and total estimated costs for accession conditions amount to some $2 million as Tarom needs to harmonize its operating systems,” company president Gheorghe Birla told a news conference Wednesday.

In the upcoming 18 month, the Romanian airliner will invest in IT, booking and check-in systems to meet the Alliance’s quality and security standards.

"The most important accession condition is harmonizing IT, booking, inventory and check-in systems, which will bring great benefits to passengers,” Birla said.

After meeting the requirements, Tarom will be audited by SkyTeam and the Alliance will then meet to analyze the audit and accept the Romanian airliner as an associate.

The association gives Romanian passengers access to 800 new destinations and better prices within loyalty programs.

SkyTeam is the world’s second largest alliance after Star Alliance. The Alliance has 11 members (American Airlines, Air France, Delta, Korean Airlines, Czech Airlines, Alitalia, KLM, Continental, Northwest Airlines, Aeroflot and China Southern) and three associates (Air Europa, Kenya Airways and Copa Airlines).

SkyTeam covers 20% of global traffic, operates some 16,000 daily flights to 800 destinations in 160 countries, and carries 400 million passengers every year.