Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways...

Partnership allows visitors to fly into one airport and out from another on a single ticket

Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their interline agreement and provide travellers additional itinerary options when visiting the UAE.

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 by enabling visitors to experience more than one destination in a single itinerary.

This summer, customers of both airlines will be able to purchase a single ticket to fly into either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, with a return via the other airport.

The new agreement 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.

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Emirates Airline president Sir Tim Clark said: “Emirates and Etihad are leveraging 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.”

Etihad Airways chief executive officer Antonoaldo Neves added: “With two world-class airlines supporting 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.”

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 AED116.1 billion (US$31.6 billion), while creating more than a million jobs by 2027.

For more information, visit www.emirates.com and www.etihad.com