China Southern Airlines and Etihad Airways enter into codeshare agreement

Jun 23, 2017: The Abu Dhabi-headquartered Etihad Airways, and China Southern Airlines, Asia's largest airline, have announced a new codeshare partnership effective from 22 June 2017. This increases the number of codeshare agreements operated by the second largest Middle East carrier to 53.

Under the agreement, Asia's largest airline, China Southern Airlines will put its 'CZ' code on Etihad Airways' daily services between Beijing (PEK)/Shanghai (PVG)/Chengdu (CTU) and Abu Dhabi. The codeshare partnership will give China Southern guests the opportunity to book codeshare flights to and from Abu Dhabi and connect onto Etihad's network of over 100 destinations worldwide.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways' executive VP Commercial, said: "The codeshare partnership with China Southern Airlines is a significant milestone in the airlines' network development strategy and a key component of its footprint in the China market. This is a further example of our strategy of working with partners to extend our reach. China is one of the fastest growing travel markets in the world, and one of the most competitive. By partnering with China Southern Airlines, each airline can use its strengths to benefit the other and offer more choice with enhanced connectivity to all guests, while experiencing the world-class services and products offered by both airlines."

Zhang Lin, China Southern Airlines' senior management on international cooperation, welcomed the establishment of the new partnership with Etihad Airways' management team. He said: "We are excited about the new partnership with Etihad Airways, which will further strengthen the global network of both airlines and provide increased benefits to all our passengers."

Both Etihad Airways and China Southern Airlines are planning to implement a reciprocal loyalty partnership in the near future to enable the guests to earn and redeem miles on each other's flights network-wide.