Etihad Airways and El Al Israel Airlines, have entered codeshare and reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers. This builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel.
For flights from 18th July 2021, EL AL will add its ‘LY’ code to Etihad’s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv. Beyond Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub, this new partnership will extend further and is planned to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from 1st August.
In the next phase of extending the codeshare agreement, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, Etihad will offer guests an additional 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its ‘EY’ code to EL AL flights.
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said:
We are very pleased to be able to announce the launch of our codeshare and frequent flyer partnership with El Al. This partnership will provide additional choice and connectivity for both carriers’ guests, and a range of benefits for frequent travelers between and beyond our respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.
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In other areas of collaboration, the national airline of UAE and the national airline of Israel will also establish a reciprocal loyalty agreement. Members of the Etihad Guest and Matmid programmes will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights across both carriers’ networks.
Avigal Soreq, Chief Executive Officer, EL AL Israel Airlines said:
This is the first commercial partnership that EL AL has established following the Abrahamic Accords. This is an important milestone as this codeshare will bring growing benefits to our passengers and to our respective airlines and countries. The EL AL and Etihad teams have a common goal in this partnership, and we look forward to seeing it grow in the future.
The 2020 MOU also provided for exploration of MRO, pilot and crew training, and cargo opportunities, which the parties are progressing.
Meanwhile, Etihad Airways recently announced flights to Vienna in addition to Santorini, Mykonos and Málaga.
Featured image by Etihad
What do you think of Etihad’s and El Al’s strategic cooperation? Let me know in the comments section below.
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