S7 Airlines, the country’s largest domestic carrier, said membership in the alliance would enable it to provide Russian passengers with new opportunities to fly the world, while also giving access to expertise accumulated by established foreign counterparts, such as British Airways and American Airlines.

Along with these two carriers, OneWorld’s founding members also include Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia and LAN Airlines. Earlier this year, the organization was joined by Japan’s JAL, Royal Jordanian, Malév Hungarian Airlines, LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador.

S7 Airlines, formerly known as Sibir (Siberia) Airlines, is based in Novosibirsk, West Siberia. It operates scheduled passenger flights to Russian and CIS destinations, along with running international services to China, Germany, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. The government holds a 25.5% stake in the company. (rian.ru)