UAE’s Etihad Airways and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have relaunched their codeshare agreement to allow their customers to have greater access to both the airlines’ flight routes between the UAE and Pakistan and on Etihad’s international routes.
According to the codeshare deal, Etihad will place its EY code on PIA flights to and from Abu Dhabi to the Pakistani cities of Lahore, Islamabad, and Peshawar.
Similarly, PIA will also place its PK code on Etihad services from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and also onwards from the UAE capital to Amsterdam, Bahrain, Colombo Chicago, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Madrid, Moscow, Washington, Zurich, Amman, Athens, Brisbane, Melbourne, Nairobi, Rome, and Sydney.
While the codeshare flights are available for booking, the first codeshare flight between Etihad and PIA will fly on November 26, 2019.
With regard to the codeshare deal with PIA, Robin Kamark, Etihad Airways chief commercial officer told the media, “The UAE and Pakistan share strong historical, commercial and cultural links and this partnership with PIA, one of the oldest and most experienced airlines in Asia, is a natural progression for both carriers. It enables us to cater to the strong customer demand for both point-to-point business and visual flight rules travel between the UAE and major cities in Pakistan, and to provide seamless travel options for the large Pakistani diaspora around the world, connecting through our hub in Abu Dhabi.”
Last month, Etihad Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines announced 11 new codeshare routes across Europe and Asia as a part of their new codeshare agreement.
Reportedly, Etihad Airways is set to compete with Qatar Airways as both the carriers will fight for a share in the Indian aviation market, the fastest growing domestic aviation market in the world.