Etihad Airways signs agreement with Air France-KLM Group for enhanced collaboration
Etihad Airways has signed an agreement with Air France-KLM Group to expand their codeshare and interline agreements. This partnership will enhance collaboration opportunities across passenger operations, loyalty programmes, talent development, and maintenance. The signing ceremony took place at the Air France-KLM Group’s headquarters in Paris, France, in the presence of the Chief Commercial Officer of Air France-KLM and the Chief Revenue Officer of Etihad Airways.
As a first step, more than 40 new routes have been made available to book for travel as early as the winter 2023 season. These routes will cover destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Australia. The agreement also proposes the ability for frequent flyers of both Flying Blue and Etihad Guest to earn and redeem miles with Air France, KLM, and Etihad Airways. The airlines will also explore terminal co-location, reciprocal lounge access and ground handling, among other initiatives.
Etihad Airways currently operates daily flights to both Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Schiphol from Abu Dhabi international airport. Air France will start operating daily flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Abu Dhabi International Airport from 29 October 2023. This partnership builds on the existing partnership by exploring deeper network enhancements as they offer improved connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Paris.
Etihad Airways and Air France-KLM Group’s shared vision
The Chief Revenue Officer at Etihad Airways expressed excitement over expanding their collaboration with Air France-KLM, with this MoU serving as a testament to their shared vision of creating premium journeys for their guests. This MoU builds on their existing partnership by exploring deeper network enhancements as they offer improved connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Paris. It reaffirms Etihad’s intent to bolster Abu Dhabi’s cultural and economic growth as they look forward to welcoming more guests to their home enjoying better travel benefits and enhanced customer experiences along the way.
The Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Air France-KLM said that he is delighted to further develop their partnership with Etihad Airways. This 11-year collaboration is now expanding even further, as they aim to explore opportunities in maintenance and loyalty, in addition to enhancing their route network for the benefit of their customers from all around the world. The attractiveness of Abu Dhabi as a destination and a hub, powered by Etihad’s large footprint spanning South and Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, brings significant richness to this partnership. This moment marks their shared commitment to providing seamless, premium, customer-centric travel experiences to their shared global customer base.
Conclusion
The partnership between Etihad Airways and Air France-KLM Group will provide better travel benefits and enhanced customer experiences for their guests. With more than 40 new routes available to book for travel as early as the winter 2023 season, this partnership will offer improved connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Paris. The airlines will also explore terminal co-location, reciprocal lounge access, and ground handling, among other initiatives. For more information about this partnership, please visit Etihad Airways’ official website.
