UAE's Etihad, Pakistan's PIA relaunch codeshare partnership

UAE's Etihad Airways and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) have relaunched their codeshare partnership to provide their customers with greater access to both airlines' trunk routes between the UAE and Pakistan, and on Etihad services across its global network.

The codeshare flights will be open for sale on November 13, 2019, with the first travel date from November 26, said a press release issued by Etihad on Wednesday.

The partnership will see Etihad place its EY code on PIA services to and from Abu Dhabi to the Pakistani cities of Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.

PIA will place its PK code on Etihad services from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore to Abu Dhabi and vice versa, and also onwards from the UAE capital to Amsterdam, Bahrain, Colombo Chicago, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Madrid, Moscow, Washington D.C, and Zurich, and subject to government approval to Amman, Athens, Brisbane, Melbourne, Nairobi, Rome and Sydney.

Commenting on the announcement, Robin Kamark, Etihad Airways chief commercial officer, said, "The UAE and Pakistan share strong historical, commercial and cultural links and this partnership with PIA, one of the oldest and most experienced airlines in Asia, is a natural progression for both carriers. It enables us to cater to the strong customer demand for both point-to-point business and visual flight rules travel between the UAE and major cities in Pakistan, and to provide seamless travel options for the large Pakistani diaspora around the world, connecting through our hub in Abu Dhabi."

For his part, Nausherwan Adil, chief commercial officer of PIA, stated that this is indeed a great opportunity for PIA to join hands with Etihad Airways, connecting Pakistan to UAE and around the globe, expanding reach to more destinations for the convenience of valued passengers.

He added, "The relationship between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates has always been a strong one and we feel proud to be working closely with our friends at Etihad Airways."

Etihad Airways has been serving Pakistan since November 2004, and currently operates two daily flights from Abu Dhabi to Islamabad, 11 weekly flights to Lahore, and a daily service to Karachi.

PIA has been serving Abu Dhabi for more than three decades, and today flies seven weekly flights each from Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar.