Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed
a Memorandum of Understanding to expand their interline agreement
and provide travellers with additional itinerary options when
visiting the UAE.
The deal aims to boost tourism and business
opportunities by enabling visitors from key source markets to
experience more than one destination in the UAE on a single
itinerary.
Customers of each airline will be
able to purchase a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu
Dhabi, with a seamless return via the other airport. The new
agreement also provides travellers planning to explore the UAE
with the flexibility of one-stop ticketing for their full journey
and convenient baggage check-in.
In the initial stages of the expanded interline,
each carrier will focus on attracting visitors to the UAE by
developing inbound interline traffic from select points in Europe
and China.
The ‘open jaw’ arrangement will allow visitors to cover
as much ground as possible when exploring Abu Dhabi, Dubai or any
other emirate, saving time by removing the need to fly home via
their arrival airport.
Customers travelling into the UAE also have
the option of ‘multi-city flights’, with the choice to travel from
one city on both carriers’ networks, and conveniently returning to
another point served by either Emirates or Etihad.
“We’re delighted to partner with Emirates in our
shared mission to support inbound tourism to the UAE and
facilitate travel to our vibrant cities,” said Antonoaldo Neves,
Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways. “With two world-class
airlines supporting UAE tourism, our interline agreement will make
it more convenient for our guests to experience the best of Abu
Dhabi and Dubai on one single ticket while promising to deliver an
exceptional flying experience whether they fly with Etihad Airways
or Emirates. It’s a win-win proposition for travellers to the
UAE.”
The expanded interline partnership draws upon the
commitment of both airlines to support the UAE government’s
objective to promote tourism and enhance the UAE’s
position as a preferred global destination.
Tourism is one of the
key pillars of the UAE economy and is expected to contribute to
5.4% of the nation’s total GDP, or AED 116.1 billion (USD 31.6
billion), supporting over 1 million jobs by 2027.
This is not the first time the two airlines have
worked together. In 2018, Emirates Group Security and Etihad
Aviation Group (EAG) signed a MOU
to strengthen aviation security, including the sharing of
information and intelligence in operational areas both within and
outside the UAE.
Last year, Emirates signed a MOU with the
Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, to boost tourist
numbers to the UAE capital from key source markets across the
airline’s global network.
“We are pleased to be working again with Etihad Airways – this
time to allow each carrier to offer a new range of seamless travel
options in and out of the UAE,” said Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline.
“Emirates and Etihad are leveraging
on our strengths to expand our respective customer offerings and
boost UAE tourism. We believe this new agreement provides a strong
foundation to develop further opportunities between both airlines
and is an example of our commitment to the UAE’s vision for
continued economic diversification.”
