Etihad Airways, Hong Kong Airlines expand codeshare

ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced an expanded codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines, an internationally-acclaimed Skytrax 4-star airline, to give air travellers enhanced connections between Australasia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

The two airlines have obtained regulatory approval to codeshare on nine additional routes, bringing the total number of services in their codeshare agreement to 14.

Under the expanded codeshare agreement, Hong Kong Airlines has placed its ‘HX’ code on Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the UAE, and a number of the most-visited cities in Europe and North America, including Paris, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Manchester, Milan, Munich, New York and Zurich.

Etihad Airways has placed its ‘EY’ code on Hong Kong Airlines’ scheduled flights between Hong Kong and Auckland, the thriving multi-cultural tourism hub of New Zealand.

Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Our codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines was initiated in 2014 with a primary focus on enhanced connectivity between Asia and the Middle East. Ever since then, we have continuously reviewed opportunities to provide improved offerings and greater access to our customers in Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and beyond. The expanded codeshare will drive commercial opportunities for both airlines, and more importantly unleash the true benefits of the partnership by offering business and leisure travellers enhanced connections and a more frequent service between Australasia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.”

Li Dianchun, Chief Commercial Officer of Hong Kong Airlines, said: “We are glad to strengthen the partnership with Etihad Airways through a codeshare expansion. There is an increasingly strong demand in Asia for travel to the GCC region, Europe and the Americas. On the other hand, the visitors from the GCC region and even Europe will also enjoy convenient connections via Hong Kong to Auckland, one of the most popular destinations in the southern hemisphere. We have no doubt the enhanced connectivity will provide a wider range of choices while experiencing the world-class services and products offered by both airlines.”

Etihad Airways and Hong Kong Airlines initiated their codeshare agreement in December 2014, allowing Etihad Airways to place its ‘EY’ code on Hong Kong Airlines’ flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok, and on flights between Hong Kong and Okinawa, while Hong Kong Airlines placed its ‘HX’ code on Etihad Airways’ service between Abu Dhabi and Bangkok. The codeshare partnership was expanded in June 2015 with ‘HX’ code on Etihad Airways’ Madrid and Hong Kong services.

Etihad Airways will increase the frequency of its Madrid service from four flights a week to daily from 1 June 2017, with Hong Kong Airlines also codesharing on the additional flight.

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising four business divisions - Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways Engineering, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners. The group has minority investments in seven airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, 117 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 123 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: etihad.com

Established in 2006, Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service airline firmly rooted in Hong Kong with a wide destination network covering over 30 major cities across the Asia Pacific region, including Gold Coast, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Sapporo, Bangkok, Bali and Okinawa. The current operating fleet is made up of 34 Airbus aircraft with an average age of around 4.1 years, consisting of 29 passenger aircraft and five freighters, being one of the youngest fleet in the world. Hong Kong Airlines has been awarded the internationally acclaimed 4-star rating from Skytrax since 2011. Adhering to the concept of “Fresh and Very Hong Kong”, Hong Kong Airlines is committed to “Bringing Greater Journeys Sky High”, and is dedicated to providing a pleasant and enjoyable journey to all passengers.