Standard Chartered and Air India have announced a combined travel and wealth proposition for Global Indians.
Eligible Standard Chartered affluent clients in Singapore and the UAE will receive Gold or Silver status in Air India’s Maharaja Club loyalty programme.
Benefits vary by membership level and can include additional baggage, priority check-in and boarding, airport lounge access, upgrade vouchers and bonus Maharaja Points.
Maharaja Club Gold members can also receive Star Alliance Gold status, providing access to more than 1,000 airport lounges worldwide and priority services across 25 other Star Alliance airlines, in addition to Air India.
Eligible Air India customers will be able to access Standard Chartered’s international banking and wealth-management services through the bank’s wealth centres in Singapore and the UAE.
The services include dedicated relationship-management support, market insights from Standard Chartered’s Chief Investment Office, invitations to selected events and wealth solutions for customers with international financial requirements.
“This partnership brings together two trusted heritage brands to create a distinctive proposition for Global Indians, whose lives, business and ambitions increasingly span borders,” said Rajesh Kannan, Head of Wealth and Retail Banking for the UAE and Jersey and Head of Global Indian Clients at Standard Chartered.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer of Air India, said the partnership would expand Maharaja Club across key international markets while providing customers with access to Standard Chartered’s banking and wealth capabilities.
Air India said Maharaja Club had added millions of members since the programme was redesigned in 2024.
Members can earn and redeem Maharaja Points on Air India and Air India Express flights covering 104 destinations, as well as through more than 100 partner brands.
The proposition is expected to become available in the coming weeks, subject to eligibility requirements.
Herald View
This is client acquisition dressed as a loyalty perk. Air India says Maharaja Club has added millions of members since its 2024 redesign, and Standard Chartered gets a route to the Global Indians among them in Singapore and the UAE. The lounges and upgrades are the bait; the prize is the wealth relationship on the other side.
