Etihad Airways and Air France-KLM have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) through which the two airline groups will strengthen already existing codeshare agrerements and expand their collaboration in a number of fields, such as frequent flyer programs.
The signing ceremony took place in Paris, France.
The MoU will expand on codeshare and interline agreements that were first established in 2012, but its scope will be expanded significantly. The partnership will now include 40 routes across Europe, the Middle East, the Asia Pacific region, and Australia that will be from now on bookable via the respective distribution channels.
Likewise, members of the Etihad Guest and Flying Blue loyalty programs will have more opportunities to earn and redeem miles when flying with each of the airlines.
Other areas where Air France-KLM and Etihad are looking at cooperating are lounges and ground handling. The two companies are also considering sharing facilities at some airports.
In July 2023, Air France announced that it was launching direct flights between Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Abu Dhabi (AUH), starting on October 29, 2023, a move that could be seen as anticipating the recent MoU. These flights will be operated daily by an Airbus A350-900 aircraft fitted with 324 seats, with 34 in Business, 24 in Premium Economy and 266 in Economy.
