EMIRATES, QANTAS TO EXTEND CODESHARE

Emirates airline and Australia’s Qantas are extending their code-share partnership for another five years.

The airlines have existing approvals from regulators to operate a joint business until March 2023. They will seek reauthorisation from relevant regulators, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, to continue the core elements of the partnership including coordination of pricing, schedules, sales and tourism marketing on approved routes until 2028.

The deal includes an option to renew for another five years beyond that, Emirates said in a statement.

“It reflects our commitment to ensure customers travelling to and from Australia, a market which we have served for 25 years, continue to have the best connections and frequent flyer benefits,” said Tim Clark, Emirates’ President. “Despite the challenges of the past 18 months, today’s announcement reinforces that Emirates is here for the long-haul.”

Connect 100+ destinations

Both airlines are making millions of reward seats available for frequent flyers to access more than 100 destinations to using their Qantas Points or Skywards Miles, which many have been stockpiling throughout the pandemic.

For Emirates customers, the deal provides access to over 55 Australian destinations that Emirates does not fly to, and Qantas customers are able to fly on Emirates to Dubai and access over 50 cities in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, that Qantas does not fly to.

“As Qantas and Emirates recover from the impact that Covid-19 has had on their respective businesses, the partnership will continue to deliver financial upside for both airlines,” said Emirates.

Clark said once borders reopen, Emirates will retire its Australian fight schedules, including the A380 jumbo-jet.