Abu Dhabi’s Etihad signs codeshare deal with Royal Jordanian

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with Jordanian airline Royal Jordanian, the airlines announced on Thursday.

The codeshare flights will be open for sale on February 7, with the first travel date from February 15, a statement said.

The partnership will see Etihad place its ‘EY’ code on Royal Jordanian’s flights from Abu Dhabi via Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport to Larnaca and Berlin, while Algiers, Tunis, Vienna and Montreal will be added to the agreement soon.

Meanwhile Royal Jordanian will initially place its ‘RJ’ code on Etihad services from Amman to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and then from the UAE capital to Brisbane and Seoul.

Subject to government approval, RJ will also market Etihad flights to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Cochin, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Manila, Beijing and Shanghai.

This is the first such partnership between the two airlines, the statement added.

Tony Douglas, group CEO, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This is the first phase of what we hope is a long-lasting and expanding partnership.”

Stefan Pichler, Royal Jordanian’s president and CEO, added: “We are delighted to have Etihad Airways beside our codeshare partners who help us grow in different markets. This move is bound to expand our presence in Asia and Australia, which are key destinations for many RJ customers.”

Etihad has been serving the Abu Dhabi to Amman route since December 2003, and currently operates two daily flights between the two capitals using a mix of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A320 aircraft.

Royal Jordanian has been operating flights to Abu Dhabi since 1970 and today flies nine weekly flights, with a twice daily frequency in the summer.

Last year, Etihad signed a codeshare deal with Swiss International Air Lines while also expanding its codeshare agreement with EgyptAir.

Read: Abu Dhabi’s Etihad expands codeshare with EgyptAir

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad signs codeshare deal with Swiss