China Airlines (CAL) is set to sign a letter of intent to join the SkyTeam alliance on Monday.
The Taiwanese carrier, which has been in discussions with the alliance for a few years, says in an invitation to guests that it plans to mark a "landmark event" in its 50-year-history in Taipei on that day.
Officials from CAL would only confirm that they plan to join an alliance, and decline to identify which one it would be.
Adding CAL will strengthen SkyTeam's presence in Northeast Asia. The alliance already has China Southern Airlines within its fold, and it said earlier this year that China Eastern Airlines will join it in 2011.
The alliance has been looking to increase its presence in the Asia Pacific, where passenger traffic growth has surpassed that in Europe and North America. Among others, SkyTeam has added Vietnam Airlines and Garuda Indonesia has also signalled its intention to join the alliance.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news