SEPANG (Jan 26): Dubai-based airline Emirates said the fixing of airfare price remains under the discretion of the respective carriers under its codeshare agreement with Malaysia Airlines Bhd.

"The agreement we entered into is codeshare. That doesn't include pricing. So the (air) ticket price will still be fixed by Malaysia Airlines for the MH tickets. Just like every (other) airline, pricing is completely autonomous," Emirates executive vice president and chief commercial officer Thierry Antinori told reporters at a media briefing today.

"We think the codeshare agreement is the best value we can offer to customers," he added, but declined to reveal more when asked about the profit sharing ratio between Emirates and Malaysia Airlines.

Antinori noted that the rationale behind the codeshare agreement is also due to the growth prospect in Asean countries.

"We see a lot of sectors being affected by the weak oil prices. But we also see a lot of prospects in certain industries in Malaysia, like the tourism industry. We believe in businesses here," he said.

Early December last year, Malaysia Airlines entered into a codeshare agreement with Emirates that gives the former access to 38 destinations in Europe, 15 in the US, and 38 in the Gulf region, Africa and Indian Ocean.

In exchange, Emirates gets access to about 300 daily flights by Malaysia Airlines in its Asian network, while the latter forego its Amsterdam and Paris route.

At the media briefing today, Emirates country manager for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Andrew Bunn opined that the collaboration with Malaysia Airlines is the best way to combine the competitive advantages of both carriers.

"Time will tell. We are very positive about the partnership, and we are getting very positive feedback from the discussion with Malaysia Airlines' management," he said.