Etihad secures January 15 deadline for airberlin code-share deal

Dubai - The decision comes after a court in Braunschweig gave Etihad up until November 8 to end the code-share agreement.

Germany gave Etihad Airways a final deadline to end code-sharing deal on 31 routes with airberlin, saying that the Abu Dhabi-based airline must find an alternative solution for the connections by January 15.
The decision comes after a court in Braunschweig gave Etihad up until November 8 to end the code-share agreement. Germany's transport ministry said on Friday that it extended the decision further to avoid "inconveniencing any passengers who have already bought tickets on the affected routes."
"Etihad Airways has for the last and final time been awarded the right to these code shares until January 15, 2016, in order to ensure that passengers who have already bought tickets are not inconvenienced," a transport ministry spokesman said. Etihad is in the middle of a dispute on aviation rights between Germany and the UAE. Passengers of both airlines have already 'booked 82,000 trips' on the routes affected, Etihad said.
Airberlin spokesman Uwe Kattwinkel declined to comment.
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research, said Etihad will have to work hard to ensure its pact with airberlin remains intact.
"It has a small window to work with, but let's not forget that there may well be an extension granted here," Ahmad told Khaleej Times.
In a worst case scenario, he said Etihad may have to look into the possibility of divesting it's stake in the German airline and that would certainly make it difficult for Etihad to ensure greater European access for its customers. But that's a 'nuclear' option and is not being considered at this time, he said.
- With inputs from agencies
 

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