EasyJet and Etihad Airways have forged a collaboration to enable the UK budget carrier to expand its customer reach.
The new partnership means customers can buy tickets through the worldwide by easyJet website connecting the two airlines’ networks and opening new options for travel between Europe, Africa, the Azores and the UAE.
The agreement follows easyJet adopting flight comparison search engine Dohop, which powers its worldwide website connecting its European network with long-haul flights.
Users will be able to purchase tickets on the easyJet website from 68 cities on the airline’s network in Europe to Abu Dhabi, connecting onto Etihad Airways flights from ten European gateways in Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome, Geneva, Madrid, Manchester, Milan and Zurich.
Both airlines plan to expand the partnership to include more destinations in the future.
The partnership with easyJet and Dohop is the UAE national airline’s first use of NDC (New Distribution Capability) technology.
Etihad plans to add more airlines and travel partners to its NDC portfolio this year.
EasyJet head of commercial partnerships, Rachel Smith, said: “We’re excited to announce our partnership with Etihad Airways, which opens up Abu Dhabi as a destination to our passengers and more of Europe to Etihad.
“Through smart self-connections and strategic partnerships, we continue to extend the reach of the worldwide by easyJet network offering more value and more routes to more customers.”
The Abu Dhabi airline’s alliances and partnerships vice president, Ali Saleh, said: “This new collaboration between two great brands is a logical leap forward for both our companies.
“EasyJet is a perfect launch partner for us in Europe, allowing us to reliably increase the breadth of our continental reach to and from Abu Dhabi, as we enhance ways of connecting directly with more airlines and travel partners around the world.
“The ability to provide end-to-end booking capabilities through our NDC platform will provide customers with ‘one stop’ solutions for seamless travel with partners, whether legacy or low-cost, through Etihad’s global gateways.”