Etihad Airways is strengthening its presence in South America by forging a codeshare deal with Avianca Brasil.
The UAE carrier will put its ‘EY’ code on domestic flights operated by Avianca Brasil as part of the partnership.
At the same time Avianca Brasil will put its ‘O6’ code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo.
This mean that passengers flying to São Paulo from Abu Dhabi will gain connections to eight other Brazilian destinations using Avianca Brasil, including Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Florianópolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, and Maceió.
Etihad Airways has flown between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo, its first destination in South America, for almost three yaers.
Martin Drew, Etihad’s senior vice president for the Americas, said:“Avianca 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.”
Avianca Brasil president Frederico Pedreira added: “Through its main hub in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways will offer our customers excellent options of connection flights, especially to destinations in Africa, Asia and Oceania, where Avianca Brasil doesn’t operate directly.
“This partnership is important because it adds even more value to the services we offer our passengers.”