Aviation sources said if Air India joins the alliance it can improve the market share in the eastern markets like Singapore and Hong kong where the Air France does not have any presence.

AI will also be able to make up for the losses suffered due to the withdrawal of flights from Frankfurt and Rome apart from retaining its identity in the region, sources said.

With AI keen on operating flights from theseregions once its financial position improves, the total alienation from the passengers due to the temporary withdrawal will not happen in the event of a global alliance, sources said.

Trans-Atlantic Pacific is the third alliance in the global arena after the Star Alliance held together by United Airlines and Lufthansa, among others, and the One World led by British Airways. Cathay Pacific is the classic example of how an airline can benefit from such an alliance. Cathay Pacific decided to join hands with British Airways after a huge drop in profit sparked off by downturn in the Japanese market.

Despite being one of the finest airlines in the world, Cathay could not stay afloat after Japanese market went into a bout of recession. However, things turned better for the airline soon after it became a part of "One World". If AI becomes part of the Trans-Atlantic pact, that would put Air France ahead in the race of becoming the strategic partner for the airline. Already, global airlines like Lufthansa andBritish Airways are informally trying to find out the AI's inherent strength before bidding for a strategic partnership.