China Airlines said it is ready to seek membership in the SkyTeam alliance of international airlines in 2008.

"We plan to file our application at the end of this year," China Airlines vice president Steve Yang said.

He said China Airlines is seeking to become SkyTeam's 12th member to join many of its existing international partners in code-sharing and frequent-flyer programs.

Yang made the remarks after China Airlines and Northwest Airlines, a SkyTeam member, signed contracts to cooperate on mileage programs and VIP lounge services.

Taking effect from August 1, the frequent-flyer cooperation covers all routes directly operated by China Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

Currently, China Airlines has more than 1.6 mln members in its Dynasty Flyer Program, while Northwest Airlines's WorldPerks Program has more than 30 mln members.

Apart from Northwest Airlines, the Taiwan carrier has also built frequent-flyer cooperation with Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

China Airlines also has existing VIP lounge cooperation with Delta Air Lines and Alitalia.