Etihad Airways raises stake in AirBerlin
Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways has agreed to increase its stake in AirBerlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, to 29.21% becoming AirBerlin’s largest single shareholder.
Under the partnership AirBerlin will shift its Middle East operation from Dubai to Abu Dhabi. From January 15, 2012 airberlin will operate four A330-200 flights a week between Berlin and Abu Dhabi - with European travellers having immediate access to a total of 29 flights a week to and through Abu Dhabi from four German hubs, with a plan to increase to 42 flights from mid-April.
The two airlines will implement an extensive codeshare agreement, with Etihad Airways codesharing on 36 of airberlin’s 171 destinations and AirBerlin codesharing on 24 of Etihad Airways’ 82 passenger destinations, and plan further expansion of the pool of codeshare routes.
Etihad Airways will sign codeshare agreements with the AirBerlin group for all European activities including NIKI, the Austrian airline, and Belair, the Swiss airline; and Etihad Guest and topbonus, the airlines’ frequent flyer programs, will be integrated, enabling passengers of both airlines to ‘earn and burn’ on each other’s flights.
AirBerlin CEO Hartmut Mehdorn said: “The strategic partnership with Etihad Airways opens up enormous opportunities for the future of our company.”
“One of the key components of the new partnership is the launch of airberlin services to Abu Dhabi, which will become our new gateway to Asia and Australia.”
“The agreement with Etihad Airways will also dramatically improve the global connectivity of our customers in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and throughout the GCC and Middle East.”
Etihad Airways CEO James Hogan and said the deal was one of the most important in Etihad Airways’ history.
“This new partnership expands our network reach, gives us access to 33 million new passengers, and provides us with a real opportunity for global growth. Through AirBerlin, we gain immediate access to a broad and complementary European market, with outstanding connectivity options for customers of both airlines.”