Etihad Airways and easyJet flyers who plan to travel to and from the UAE, as well as other destinations, can now purchase tickets via one website, as the UAE-based carrier has just entered into a partnership with the United Kingdom’s low-cost airline.

The national airline announced on Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with the British airline that effectively connects the two carriers’ networks through the easyJet website.

The new tie-up, which comes into effect immediately, will enable travellers to make a single, seamless booking when they wish to travel to and from the UAE, Europe, Africa and the Azores.

“Customers will for the first time be able to purchase tickets on the easyJet website from 68 cities on the airline’s network in Europe to Abu Dhabi, connecting on to Etihad Airways flights from 10 European gateways in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome, Geneva, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Malpensa and Zurich,” Etihad said in a statement.

Ali Saleh, Etihad Airways vice president for alliances and partnerships, said in a statement that the new collaboration will allow the UAE airline to increase the “breadth” of its “continental reach to and from Abu Dhabi.”

“The ability to provide end-to-end booking capabilities through our new distribution capability platform will provide customers with one-stop solutions for seamless travel with partners, whether legacy or low-cost through Etihad’s global gateways,” said Saleh.

The UAE’s national carrier had earlier reported a $1.28 billion loss for 2018, down from the $1.52 billion loss incurred in 2017.

The airline had started a five-year transformation programme in 2017 amid challenging market conditions and rising oil prices.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)

Cleofe.Maceda@refinitiv.com

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