New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS): National carrier Air India on Sunday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) effective from September 1.

"The deal has been signed for a period of one year. As per the MoU, Air India will be the preferred airline for travel of the Indian cricket team," the statement said.

Air India shall also fly Indian cricketers of both the National and other state cricket teams on domestic and international network across the globe, the statement said.

Under the agreement, Air India shall offer "Special fares" and "Free Baggage Allowance" to the Indian cricket team. The MoU also encapsulates the travel of umpires, match referee and national selectors on official duty, TV crew, BCCI officials for various committee meetings, Annual General Meetings and any other official travel.

Air India's membership with "Star Alliance", the global airline network with highest number of member airlines operating to 1330 destinations in 192 countries and its code share with major carriers across the globe, makes it best suited to cater to the requirement of the Indian cricket team.

It equally caters to the needs of BCCI which requires seamless connectivity to major cities across the globe, quick transfers, convenient check-in procedures, wide-body comforts and global best practices in terms of processes, systems and procedures, according to the statement.