SriLankan, Etihad in codeshare deal

SriLankan Airlines and Etihad Airways have joined hands to form a new code share deal that promises to significantly enhance the route networks of both airlines.

Starting October 1, SriLankan will begin codesharing on Etihad flights to Amman, Geneva, Dublin , Munich, Brussels, and Manchester. Etihad will do the same on SriLankan’s flights to Male in the Maldives. The initial partnership between the two airlines commenced in September 2007 when Etihad began codesharing on SriLankan’s flights between Abu Dhabi and Colombo.

SriLankan Airlines expects a long-term relationship with Etihad with the deal now on. “We are very happy with the success of our partnership up to now. I have no doubt that the new agreement will be of significant benefit to our passengers throughout Europe and Asia, including Sri Lanka,” said a SriLankan official.  Meanwhile, Etihad’s codeshare with SriLankan Airlines has worked well during the last year and the airline expects to provide customers with flights to the Maldives which it expect will be hugely popular with UAE’s holidaymakers.

By inking a codesharing agreement, passengers of one airline can book flights on the other. Passengers would then have an increased number of destinations to fly to. For the airlines, it provides opportunities to serve more destinations without having to invest in more aircraft and infrastructure. Codesharing is usually between airlines of similar standards, to ensure that passengers receive excellent service. For SriLankan, the codeshares through Abu Dhabi from Geneva, Dublin, Munich, Brussels, and Manchester will greatly enhance European tourists’ accessibility to Sri Lanka. It will also serve Sri Lankan expatriates domiciled in Europe. The codeshare to Amman will serve labour traffic in Jordan, where a large number of Sri Lankans are employed.

Etihad’s codeshare on SriLankan’s flights to Male will provide its customers with access to the luxury holiday destination of the Maldives . SriLankan is the largest carrier into the Maldives with 15 flights per week. Etihad and SriLankan have also signed a reciprocal agreement to link their respective frequent flyer programmes whereby members of both programmes will be able to earn and redeem miles when travelling on all Etihad and SriLankan flights, including those covered by the new codeshare agreement.

Etihad currently has codeshare agreements with Jet Airways, Yemen Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, B russels Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Philippine Airlines, Middle East Airlines and UK-based airline bmi. SriLankan presently has codeshares on flights of Malaysia Airlines and bmi, while Indian Airlines and Saudi Arabian Airlines codeshare on SriLankan’s flights.