Dubai: Etihad Airways and RAK Airways said on Wednesday they have signed an agreement to codeshare on five flight sectors including, for the first time, domestic flights in the UAE.
The moves closely follows the recent announcement by RAK Airways to operate UAE’s first domestic flight — from Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi, starting October 3.
The first of its kind agreement between the two UAE carriers will see Etihad Airways placing its ‘EY’ code on the RAK Airways flight between Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, while RAK Airways will place its ‘RT’ code on Etihad Airways routes.
The routes will initially include flights between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, Manchester, Dublin, Bangkok and Geneva, the carriers said in a joint statement.
Aviation analyst, Andrew Charlton of Geneva-based Aviation Advocacy, hints at the move as one signalling the start of consolidation in the Gulf aviation industry.
“The most interesting part of this announcement is whether we will look back on it as the moment airline consolidation started in the Gulf,” he told Gulf News, adding that the benefit for RAK Airways is that the carrier can continue to sell a range of markets that it does not currently have the equipment to service.
According to John Brayford, RAK Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, the deal has established that RAK Airways has advanced well since its re-launch in 2010. “With this partnership, we are able to offer residents of Ras Al Khaimah and the northern Emirates a much wider choice of destinations and also, for the first time, a direct link to the capital city Abu Dhabi,” he said in a statement.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, added that the airline is keen to have air travellers through Abu Dhabi and onto international flights across the Etihad Airways network.
