In a move to boost regional tourism, UAE flag carriers Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their interline agreement.
The expanded agreement between the two partner airlines will provide travellers with additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE.
Stimulating regional tourism
This first of its kind agreement between the two UAE carriers aims to capitalise on opportunities to boost tourism to the UAE from key source markets.
The goal of the partnership is to encourage visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary.
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.
An “open jaw” arrangement
The wave of rejuvenated demand for air travel has also been further bolstered by the lifting of restrictions from the major travel market of China.
In the initial stages of this expanded interline, each carrier plans to focus on attracting visitors to the UAE by developing inbound interline traffic from select points in Europe and China.
[monsterinsights_popular_posts_inline]
This ‘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.
The MoU was signed at 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.
Sir Tim Clark, President, Emirates Airline said:“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. Emirates and Etihad are leveraging on our strengths to expand our respective customer offerings and boost UAE tourism.”
Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “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. It’s a win-win proposition for travellers to the UAE.”
In line with government objectives
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 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 latest agreement represents the second time the UAE flag carriers have announced a collaboration.
The first collaboration was in 2018 when 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.
