SAUDI Arabian Airlines (Saudia) and Etihad Airways have agreed to a new codeshare partnership and to cooperate more closely in other commercial areas, including air freight.
The agreement between Saudi Arabia's national flag carrier and Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, also includes engineering and maintenance.
'In the cargo world the teams in both airlines' divisions are in talks about greater cooperation, recognising the increased volumes of freighter traffic flowing into and out of the UAE and Saudi Arabia,' the carriers said in a statement, reported London's Air Cargo World.
The statement highlights that Saudi Arabian Airlines in 2017 carried 32 million passengers, registered 200,000 flights that clocked up 320 million kilometres, while Saudia Cargo carried 637,000 tonnes of freight.
In 2017 Etihad Airways operated 7,578 passenger flights and carried 1.3 million passengers between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Etihad Cargo carried 28,000 tonnes of cargo between the two countries last year.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Jeddah for the codeshare agreement, Saudi Arabian Airlines director general Saleh bin Naser Al-Jasser said: 'The new partnership broadens aviation and transport links with the United Arab Emirates, building on the extensive aviation investment and strong foundation in the sector.'
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Tony Douglas added: 'The ties shared between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the deepest that the two nations have and therefore we are extremely proud to play our role and bring the two flag carriers together in this unique partnership.'
The agreement between Saudi Arabia's national flag carrier and Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, also includes engineering and maintenance.
'In the cargo world the teams in both airlines' divisions are in talks about greater cooperation, recognising the increased volumes of freighter traffic flowing into and out of the UAE and Saudi Arabia,' the carriers said in a statement, reported London's Air Cargo World.
The statement highlights that Saudi Arabian Airlines in 2017 carried 32 million passengers, registered 200,000 flights that clocked up 320 million kilometres, while Saudia Cargo carried 637,000 tonnes of freight.
In 2017 Etihad Airways operated 7,578 passenger flights and carried 1.3 million passengers between Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Etihad Cargo carried 28,000 tonnes of cargo between the two countries last year.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Jeddah for the codeshare agreement, Saudi Arabian Airlines director general Saleh bin Naser Al-Jasser said: 'The new partnership broadens aviation and transport links with the United Arab Emirates, building on the extensive aviation investment and strong foundation in the sector.'
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Tony Douglas added: 'The ties shared between the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the deepest that the two nations have and therefore we are extremely proud to play our role and bring the two flag carriers together in this unique partnership.'