Etihad Airways reveals South African Airways partnership
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The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways has announced it will be partnering with South African Airways (SAA) in a deal that will increase the networks of both carriers.
Etihad Airways will be adding 10 cities in Africa to its roster while SAA will be codesharing on 12 Etihad flights to destinations including Abu Dhabi. Both will be exploring the opportunities joint training opportunities and procurement opportunities.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer, said: “This impressive, multilayered partnership will enable Etihad Airways and SAA to achieve significant goals in several different global markets as well as collaborate on a number of key commercial initiatives.
“This strategy, of working closely with partner airlines to serve secondary cities in a market, has been highly successful for Etihad Airways around the world and we look forward to build upon our already strong relationship with the team at SAA to extend our footprint in the strategically critical African market.”
There will also be an agreement in place for passengers to redeem frequent flyer miles on either carrier.
Nico Bezuidenhout, SAA’s acting chief executive officer, said: “This extensive commercial agreement will enable SAA to access the vast majority of Etihad Airways global markets. We are pleased to build upon the commercial areas of the agreement which are fundamental to a modern airline partnership.”
Dudu Myeni, SAA’s acting Chairperson, said: “This partnership provides SAA customers with vital, instantaneous, and seamless access to 12 key destinations in the Middle East and beyond. It will also broaden SAA’s network through alliances and strategic partnerships, which, is our long term view.”
The two carries are expected to collectively carry around 20 million passengers this year.