Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and El Al Israel Airlines, the national carrier of Israel, have launched their joint codeshare network and reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers. This builds on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel.
Available for sale for flights from July 18, 2021, El Al will add its ‘LY’ code to Etihad’s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv. Beyond Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub, this new partnership will extend further and is planned to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from August 1.
In the next phase of extending the codeshare agreement, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, Etihad will offer guests an additional 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its ‘EY’ code to El Al flights.
The two airline partners will also establish a reciprocal loyalty agreement. Members of the Etihad Guest and Matmid programmes will be able to earn and redeem miles on flights across both carriers’ networks.
The 2020 MOU also provided for exploration of MRO, pilot and crew training, and cargo opportunities, which the parties are progressing.
