From WTM: Etihad and Flybe deal "highly significant

Etihad's new codeshare agreement with UK carrier Flybe is "highly significant" and opens up a whole new domestic network in Britain for the Middle Eastern carrier, Etihad's UK country manager, Clive Wratten told Routes News at World Travel Market in London today (November 9).

Speaking during his first press interview of the event, Wratten said: "We are very excited about this new agreement, which gives us and our guests a wide and varied domestic network in the UK." It also marks the first time that Flybe has placed its code on international services, he added.

Under the agreement, Etihad's code will appear on Flybe services between Paris, Frankfurt and Manchester and 35 regional airports in the UK. Flybe's code will appear on Etihad flights to the same three destinations and Abu Dhabi. Wratten highlighted Inverness, Southampton and Birmingham among the new regional destinations that the deal opens up to Etihad passengers.

On the route development front, Wratten conceded that 2009 had seen fewer new route launches than previous years. However, the launch of eight new routes this year to a number of key destinations during an economic slowdown is not insignificant. The next additions to the network are Hyderabad (starting this month), Columbo (reintroduced from early 2010) and Nagoya and Tokyo, which will come online in the first quarter of next year.

The Etihad team were also celebrating good news following its win last night at this year' World Travel Awards where the carrier was named World's Leading Airline.

Lucy Siebert, Routes News at WTM, London

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