Etihad Expands Codeshare Agreement With India’s Jet Airways

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has expanded its codeshare agreement with Jet Airways, linking to more destinations in India.

The Gulf airline said that it has received regulatory approval to codeshare on 43 additional routes with Jet Airways, bringing the total number of services in their codeshare agreement to 71.

Etihad has also placed its ‘EY’ code on domestic services for the first time as part of the agreement, the carrier said.

Around 31 Jet Airways routes including those from hubs such as Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore to regional centres such as Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi. Kolkata, Lucknow, Mangalore, Patna, Trivandrum and Vadodara will have the ‘EY’ code.

The codeshare agreement has also been updated to incorporate Jet Airways’ international routes from Mumbai and Delhi to Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok along with services linking Chennai to Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

“As one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets, India has become increasingly important to Etihad Airways,” said James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways.

“This codeshare expansion is a milestone development for both airlines. In addition to placing our ‘EY’ code on domestic flights within India for the first time, the agreement now covers all six of Jet Airways’ services to Abu Dhabi.

“This has multiple benefits for travellers, such as expanded network reach, more frequent services, and increased convenience. Jet Airways’ guests also benefit from seamless connections to more destinations globally, with the airline’s ‘9W’ code placed on almost 20 per cent more Etihad Airways routes than previously offered,” he said.

Prior to this expansion, Etihad Airways codeshared on seven routes operated by Jet Airways, with the agreement covering flights between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai, Delhi, Cochin, Bangalore and Hyderabad, together with connections from Brussels to Newark and Toronto.

In addition, Jet Airways codeshared on 21 Etihad Airways routes to destinations in India, Europe, the US, Australia, and Africa.

Earlier this year, Etihad completed the acquisition of a 24 per cent minority stake in Jet Airways for $379 million, becoming the first foreign carrier to invest in an Indian airline after the country relaxed foreign ownership rules last year.

In addition to Jet Airways, Abu Dhabi’s state carrier has also bought stakes in Air Berlin, Virgin Australia, Aer Lingus and Air Seychelles.