Etihad Airways and Air France-KLM Group have signed a preliminary agreement to expand their flight codeshare agreement that will allow both partners to offer more destinations to their passengers and explore collaboration across loyalty programmes, talent development and maintenance.
The two airlines, which signed codeshare and interline agreements in 2012, said more than 40 new routes covering destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Australia are now available for travel in the winter 2023 season.
The pact 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, the airlines said in a joint statement on Thursday.
The airlines will also explore terminal co-location, reciprocal lounge access and ground handling, among other initiatives, they said.
"This [pact] builds on our existing partnership by exploring deeper network enhancements as we offer improved connectivity between Abu Dhabi and Paris, and leveraging the extensive AF-KL network to Europe and beyond," Arik De, chief revenue officer at Etihad, said.
"It reaffirms Etihad’s intent to bolster Abu Dhabi’s cultural and economic growth as we look forward to welcoming more guests to our home.”
Last month, the airline said it was overhauling its route network to support expansion in its next phase of growth, increase Abu Dhabi's connections to key business markets and support the emirate's tourism push.
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Etihad mapped a winter season schedule that will introduce new destinations, add more flight frequencies to key routes and provide passengers with better departure times.
The new routes will be rolled out starting this month through to January 2024, according to the airline's winter schedule.
Etihad Airways aims to triple its number of passengers to 30 million and double its fleet to 150 planes by 2030 as it maps out the “next chapter of growth”, chief executive Antonoaldo Neves said in an interview in May.
The airline plans to grow by 10 per cent annually over the next seven years in terms of the number of passengers carried and available seats per kilometre.
Etihad 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 October 29.
Earlier this year, Air France-KLM also signed a preliminary pact with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism to boost connectivity between Europe and Abu Dhabi.
"The attractiveness of Abu Dhabi as a destination and a hub, powered by Etihad's large footprint spanning South and South-East Asia, as well as Australia, brings significant richness to this partnership," said Angus Clarke, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Air France-KLM.
"This 11-year collaboration is now expanding even further, as we aim to explore opportunities in maintenance and loyalty, in addition to enhancing our route network."
