Airlines Etihad Airways and Saudia announce partnership expansion

Initially, both airlines had signed a codeshare agreement in October 2018, which saw the carriers placing their flight codes on each other´s services between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina. In return, Saudia placed its code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and 12 more destinations. Etihad also placed its airline code on Saudia services to Peshawar, Multan, Port Sudan and Vienna.

The latest agreement is still subject to regulatory approvals and will see Saudia to progressively add its code to Etihad services between Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam, Baku, Brussels, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Phuket, Nagoya, Tokyo and Seoul. This agreement significantly extends Saudia´s network. Passengers can now connect seamlessly on flights with the airlines.

Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said: “The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoy strong economic, diplomatic and cultural links, and the partnership between our two national carriers is a natural and productive extension of these ties.

“Since announcing our partnership at this time last year, we have jointly achieved more than 53,500 passenger journeys, five times the 11,390 for the whole of 2018. The increased collaboration we have announced today will deliver even more growth to both airlines, provide greater choice for our passengers and freight customers, and further strengthen the ties between our nations,” Douglas added.

Saudi Arabian Airlines Director General Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, commented on the expanded agreements: “Network growth and increased access to destinations provides our guests with greater flexibility and convenience. We are pleased to further enhance our collaboration with Etihad Airways and continue to support the growth in services and routes.”

Etihad Airways currently serves four destinations in Saudi Arabia and 80 across the globe. The airline was initially founded in 2003 and its fleet consists of 19 Airbus A320s, 10 A321s, 13 A330s, 10 A380s, 25 Boeing 777s and 36 787s. Soon, Etihad will take delivery of its first A350-1000.

Saudi Arabian Airlines commenced operations in March 1947 and has its main hub at Jeddah King Abdulaziz International Airport. The 176 aircraft strong fleet consists of 46 Airbus A320s, 15 A321s, 40 A330s, 13 Boeing 747s, 47 777s and 15 787s.