ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and Avianca Brazil, one of the leading airlines in Latin America, announced a codeshare partnership today. Under the agreement, Etihad Airways will put its ‘EY’ code on domestic flights operated by Avianca Brazil while Avianca Brazil will put its ‘O6’ code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and Sรฃo Paulo.
As of June 15, 2016, travelers on Etihad Airways flights between Sรฃo Paulo (GRU) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) and beyond will benefit from convenient connections to and from eight other Brazilian destinations on Avianca Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Curitiba (CWB), Florianรณpolis (FLN), Fortaleza (FOR), Porto Alegre (POA), Recife (REC), Salvador (SSA), and Maceiรณ (MCZ).
โAvianca is an important strategic partner for Etihad Airways in South America. In addition to the codeshare agreement recently signed with Avianca Colombia, we are further strengthening our presence in Brazil by offering our guests more convenience and connections with a single combined ticket,โ said Martin Drew, Senior Vice President โ Americas at Etihad Airways.
โThrough its main hub in Abu Dhabi, Etihad will offer our customers excellent options of connection flights, especially to destinations in Africa, Asia and Oceania, where Avianca Brazil doesnโt operate directly. This partnership is important because it adds even more value to the services we offer our passengers,โ added Frederico Pedreira, President of Avianca Brazil.
Codeshare agreements offer guests countless benefits, such as direct baggage check-in to their final destination and extra assistance during connections. Later this year, Etihad Guest members and Avianca Brazilโs Amigo members will be able to earn and redeem miles on codeshare flights.
Etihad Airways has flown between Abu Dhabi and Sรฃo Paulo, its first destination in South America, since June 2013. By the end of 2015 the airline had carried over 340,000 passengers on the route. Avianca Brazil serves 22 cities in its home country with over 200 daily flights. In 2015, the carrier transported 8.5 million customers.