Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, and Cyprus Airways, recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), paving the way for a codeshare between the two airlines.

Under the initial codeshare deal, which is expected to come into effect in September, Cyprus Airways will place its ‘CY’ code on Etihad Airways flights between Larnaca and Abu Dhabi.

The aim of the codeshare is to enable Etihad Airways, as a newcomer to the Cypriot market, to increase its presence through the greater cooperation with the Cyprus Airways, the Mediterranean island’s national airline.

“Since launching services between Abu Dhabi and Cyprus demand has continued to grow for Etihad Airways’ flights and we are therefore delighted to sign this MoU with Cyprus Airways which will support our expansion in this important market,” said Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ chief commercial officer.

Etihad launched its four flights a week service between the capital cities of Cyprus and the UAE on June 14 which have proved extremely popular with UAE-based holiday makers travelling to the popular Mediterranean island for a break.

Etihad currently has 16 other codeshare agreements with Aer Arran, Bangkok Airways, Brussels Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Jet Airways, Kuwait Airways, Yemen Airways, Saudi Arabia Airlines, Sri Lankan Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Philippine Airlines, Middle East Airlines, Qantas, UK-based airline, bmi, Ukraine International Airlines and Turkish Airways. – TradeArabia News Service