Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, and Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, have marked the first anniversary of their commercial partnership by announcing 12 new codeshare routes to key destinations in Asia and Europe.

Since signing their agreement in October 2018, the two airlines have placed their flight codes on each other’s services between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Arabian cities of Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina, said an Etihad press release issued on Tuesday.

Saudia has also added its ‘SV’ code to Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and 12 more destinations - Ahmedabad, Belgrade, Brisbane, Chengdu, Chicago, Dusseldorf, Lagos, Melbourne, Moscow-Domodedovo, Rabat, Seychelles and Sydney - while Etihad has placed its ‘EY’ code on Saudia flights to Peshawar, Multan, Port Sudan and Vienna.

Under the deal announced on Tuesday, and subject to regulatory approvals, Saudia will progressively add its code to Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and 11 more destinations in nine countries Amsterdam, Baku, Brussels, Dublin, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Bangkok, Phuket, Nagoya, Tokyo and Seoul, significantly extending Saudia’s reach.

Commenting on their partnership, Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said, “The United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoy strong economic, diplomatic and cultural links, and the partnership between our two national carriers is a natural and productive extension of these ties.”

WAM