On Wednesday, Etihad Airways announced the relaunch of their codeshare partnership with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The new agreement will provide customers of both airlines greater access to trunk routes between the UAE and Pakistan.
With today’s announcement, Etihad Airways will place its ‘EY’ code on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flights to and from Abud Dhabi to Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar in Pakistan. Likewise, PIA will place its ‘PK’ code on Etihad flights from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore to/from Abu Dhabi and onward from the United Arab Emirate’s capital to Amsterdam, Bahrain, Colombo, Chicago, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Madrid, Moscow, Washington DC and Zurich. The new codeshare flights will be available for purchase starting November 13, 2019 for travel commencing November 26, 2019. In Wednesday’s announcement, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Robin Kamark 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 VFR [Visiting Friends & Relatives] 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.”
PIA has been serving Abu Dhabi for over three decades and currently offers seven flights weekly from Lahore, Islamabad and Peshawar. Etihad operates two daily flights to Islamabad, 11 weekly flights to Lahore and daily service to Karachi from Abu Dhabi. Speaking on today’s announcement, PIA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Nausherwan Adil stated,
“This is indeed a great opportunity for PIA to join hands with Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, connecting Pakistan to UAE and around the globe, expanding reach to more destinations for the convenience of our valued passengers. 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.”
In addition to the codeshare routes announced today, pending government approval, the partnership will expand to include service to Amman, Athens, Brisbane, Melbourne, Nairobi, Rome and Sydney.
Source: Etihad Airways