Emirates and Etihad Sign MoU to Expand Interline Agreement

The two UAE national carriers – Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways – on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their interline agreement and provide travellers additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE.

This agreement is said to be first of its kind that aims to capitalise on opportunities to boost tourism to the UAE from key source markets by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary.

The MoU was signed at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market by Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer, and Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Airways, in the presence of Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline, and Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad CEO, along with other senior representatives.

This summer, 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.

Seamless Options

Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said that they were pleased to work again with Etihad Airways, and this time to allow each carrier to offer a new range of seamless travel options in and out of the UAE.

“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,” he added.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said that they were delighted to partner with Emirates in their shared mission to support inbound tourism to the UAE and facilitate travel to our vibrant cities.

“With two world-class airlines supporting the 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,” Neves added.

The expanded interline partnership draws upon the commitment of both airlines to support the UAE government’s objective to promote tourism to the UAE and enhance the country’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 $31.6 billion, supporting over 1 million jobs by 2027.

This is the second time the airlines have announced a collaboration.

In 2018, Emirates Group Security and Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (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 an 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.