New Deal Connects Etihad Passengers to Regional UK Hubs

DUBAI — Etihad Airways said on Thursday that its customers around the world will soon be able to fly to a host of new regional airports within the UK, following the signing of a new codeshare agreement with Flybe, the biggest regional airline in Europe.

By Staff Report

  • Follow us on
  • google-news
  • whatsapp
  • telegram

Published: Fri 6 Nov 2009, 10:36 PM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 9:50 PM

In a statement Etihad said that the new deal would also give air travellers in the UK greater and easier access to the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s rapidly expanding network of more than 55 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Under the deal, Etihad would place its two-letter ‘EY’ code on a number of services operated by Flybe between Paris, Frankfurt and Manchester and 35 regional airports within the UK. In turn, Flybe would place its ‘BE’ code on Etihad’s flights between the same three destinations and its Abu Dhabi home base.

Etihad Airways currently flies directly from Abu Dhabi to two destinations within the UK – a three-times-per-day service to London Heathrow and a daily service to Manchester. The new codeshare agreement with Flybe would give Etihad customers access to several regional airports in the UK, including Southampton, Birmingham and Belfast, the statement said.

“The UK is a key market for Etihad Airways and one which we are extremely keen to develop further. Flybe is a well-established and well-run operator with great reach within UK and mainline Europe,” said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer. “This gives air travellers access to a range of regional destinations within the UK previously unavailable to them, while also giving UK fliers greater and much easier access to Etihad’s own expanding international network,” he said.

Flybe is the biggest regional airline in Europe and operates flights to 180 destinations across 13 countries. The airline’s largest base is Southampton Airport with other bases at Manchester, Birmingham and Belfast City airports.

“The agreement with Etihad is an exciting development for Flybe, and we are delighted to be working with such an excellent and well-respected airline. The codeshare is win-win for both airlines,” said Mike Rutter, Flybe Chief Commercial Officer. “For Flybe, it enables us to outreach to a new and different market, whilst at the same time further facilitating our leisure and business passengers,” he said.

· business@khaleejtimes.com


More news from