16 Apr 2014 08:00
Fiji Airways and Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today announced a new and far reaching interline agreement between the two carriers.
This agreement will allow reciprocal sales
from and to 12 cities in Europe, 17 cities in the Middle East, 5 cities in
Africa, 5 cities in North America, 29 cities in Asia and 3 cities in Australia
to and from Fiji. The agreement comes into place with immediate effect and is
the starting point of further negotiations between the 2 airlines.
James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said:
“Fiji is a great holiday market and we are happy to offer Fiji as an additional
destination in our global network. The agreement also connects the outer South
Pacific Islands to our network which creates more opportunities for our
worldwide sales force. “
Stefan Pichler, Managing Director and CEO of Fiji Airways commented:
“We are
proud to be part of the global Etihad Airways network and this partnership will
help us to put Fiji on the map in countries where we had no presence before.
Etihad Airways will help us to reach out for new customers and to diversify
tourism streams for our country. It is definitely a major step for Fiji
Airways.”
The Fijian
Attorney-General and Minister for Tourism, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, has hailed the
agreement as an exciting new development for Fiji Airways and the entire Fijian
economy.
“This opens up a whole new lucrative market for our tourism industry,
enabling us to attract affluent visitors from Abu Dhabi - Etihad's base - the
other Gulf States, the rest of the Middle East and beyond," he said.
The Minister added that the Fijian Government hopes that this agreement will
strengthen both Fiji's national airline and the national economy for the
long-term benefit of every Fijian.
Etihad Airways joins Fiji Airways' impressive list of codeshare or interline
partners, which includes American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Air New
Zealand.