UAE carriers join up on airline security

DUBAI — Two rival airlines in the United Arab Emirates have linked up to cooperate on aviation security.

The deal between Dubaibased Emirates and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad was announced on Monday after the signing of a memorandum of understanding by senior figures from the airlines.

Emirates said in a statement that “the historic agreement, the first between the UAE’s two world-leading aviation groups, signals the importance of closer collaboration in aviation security to effectively exploit joint synergies to enhance efficiency and security for the benefit of both groups’ customers”.

One of the key areas of cooperation outlined in the MoU involves the sharing of information and intelligence between Emirates, which in November added the 100th Airbus A380 Superjumco to its fleet, and Etihad on critical aspects of aviation security.

Foremost priority

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, said “security is one of the foremost priorities of the global aviation industry”.

Through the agreement, the carriers will share knowhow and extend aviation security services in order to better handle shared challenges, he added.

Vice Chairman of Etihad Aviation Group Hamad Abdulla al-Shamsi said that “by working closely together, and pooling our expertise and resources, Etihad Aviation Group and Emirates Group Security will build a stronger platform from which to share best practice and knowledge, allowing us to provide the safest traveling environment for our customers”.

Earlier in October last year, Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, said the Dubai government-controlled airline was open to cooperate with Etihad, but stressed that a full merger between the two was “up to the owners,” meaning the ruling families of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Emirates recorded an 82 -percent decline in its annual profit for the fiscal year 20162017, which ended on March 31. In 2016, Etihad lost $1.87 billion due to a stronger dollar.