Etihad Airways and El Al have forged a codeshare pact with a reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers.
The Israeli carrier will add its ‘LY’ code to Etihad’s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv for flights from July 18.
The new partnership will extend further beyond Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from August 1.
Etihad will offer an additional 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its ‘EY’ code to El Al flights in a further phase, subject to government and regulatory approvals.
A reciprocal loyalty agreement will see members of the Etihad Guest and Matmid programmes able to earn and redeem miles on flights across both carriers’ networks.
The deal builds on a memorandum of understanding the airlines agreed in 2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel.
Etihad Aviation Group chief executive Tony Douglas said: “We are very pleased to be able to announce the launch of our codeshare and frequent flyer partnership with El Al. This partnership will provide additional choice and connectivity for both carriers’ guests, and a range of benefits for frequent travelers between and beyond our respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.”
His El Al counterpart Avigal Soreq said: “This is an important milestone as this codeshare will bring growing benefits to our passengers and to our respective airlines and countries. The EL AL and Etihad teams have a common goal in this partnership, and we look forward to seeing it grow in the future.”