Etihad, Aer Lingus ink codeshare agreement

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways and Aer Lingus have signed an historic interline and codeshare agreement which follows the airline’s recent 2.987 per cent equity purchase in the Irish carrier.

 Within the agreement Etihad will place its “EY” code on Aer Lingus flights between Dublin, Manchester and London Heathrow, and destinations in Ireland, the British Isles, the Channel Islands, Portugal, the Netherlands and US.

In return, Aer Lingus will place its “EI” code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and Dublin, and have full access to flights across the network beyond Abu Dhabi, to points including Australia, Asia-Pacific, the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East.

 In addition to the codeshare with Aer Lingus, Etihad has 35 other codeshare agreements in place with airlines across the world. Codeshare partnerships, along with equity acquisitions and organic growth, form the three pillars of Etihad Airways expansion plans.