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Two of the Middle East region’s major long-haul operators, Etihad and Gulf Air have signed a new deal to expand their codeshare routes starting this year.
The strategic commercial cooperation agreement (SCCA) will enable the two flagship carriers to offer up to an additional 30 combined destinations beyond their hubs in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia.
“By June 2021, the scope of the partners’ codeshare agreement… will be significantly expanded,” a statement said on Wednesday.
The two airlines first signed a codeshare partnership in 2019, which saw Etihad place its “EY” code on Gulf Air flights from Bahrain to and from Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Casablanca, Tbilisi and many more destinations.
The agreement also enabled Gulf Air to place its “GF” code on Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi to and from Bahrain, Brisbane, Chicago, Jakarta, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, among others.
The new agreement reinforces the ongoing partnership of the two airlines, according to Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer of Etihad Aviation Group.
“We look forward to exploring pragmatic ways in which the two carriers can increasingly work seamlessly between our two capitals, enhance benefits and customer experience for our most frequent travellers and further extend the reach of our joint networks beyond our hubs,” said Douglas.
Waleed AlAlawi, Gulf Air’s acting chief executive officer, said the agreement will “empower” the two airlines to offer a “more elevated experience” to passengers and widen their travel options.
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)
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