United Arab Emirates (UAE) national carrier Etihad Airways and Republic of Ireland flag carrier Aer Lingus have signed an interline and codeshare agreement which follows the UAE airline’s recent 2.987 per cent equity purchase in the Irish operator. The agreement, which will come into effect this autumn will strengthen Etihad’s activities in Europe on to the US, while Aer Lingus customers will benefit from improved access to parts of the world currently not served directly.

Etihad Airways operates 10 flights a week from Abu Dhabi to Dublin and has carried more than 817,000 passengers between the two capitals since it began flying the route in July 2007. It has recently faced increased indirect competition on the route from its UAE rival Emirates Airline which is now offering its own flights to the Irish capital from Dubai, offering connections across its own global network.

Within the agreement Etihad Airways will place its own ‘EY’ codes on Aer Lingus’ flights from Dublin to Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Isle of Man, Jersey, Kerry, Lisbon, London Gatwick, London Heathrow and Manchester; between London Heathrow and Dublin, Cork, and Shannon; between Manchester and Dublin, Cork, and Shannon, as well as between Dublin and Boston and New York JFK.

“We are delighted to announce this new codeshare agreement with Aer Lingus which will provide Etihad Airways’ customers with new travel options and flight connections to Ireland, the UK, continental Europe, and across the Atlantic to Boston and New York,” said James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways. “The codeshare agreement is an early indication of the success of Etihad Airways’ strategic plan to acquire equity in Aer Lingus and other airlines and the instant benefit it brings to both airlines’ customers around the world.”

In return, Aer Lingus will place its ‘EI’ code will appear 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. “This announcement supports Aer Lingus’ strategy to provide greater access and choice to our customers. We are delighted to welcome Etihad Airways on board as a codeshare partner,” said Christoph Mueller, Chief Executive, Aer Lingus.

In addition to the codeshare with Aer Lingus, Etihad Airways 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. The arrangement will come into place from September 15, 2012 although the airlines are still waiting for regulatory approval on some of the routes. Alongside this agreement Etihad Airways and Aer Lingus continue to discuss additional commercial and cost opportunities to develop a closer working relationship in areas such as joint procurement.