Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has launch of its codeshare operations with Spanish carrier, Air Europa, providing air travellers with greater access to key European destinations.

Passengers flying with Etihad Airways to Brussels and Amsterdam can now connect on to Spain’s capital, Madrid, and then onwards to Barcelona and Palma in Mallorca.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer, said: “Etihad Airways is committed to offering passengers access to the key destinations in Europe and we are delighted that the partnership with Air Europa greatly expands our offering to and from Spain and the Balearic Islands.

“We look forward to building on the partnership with Air Europa which will bring greater numbers of business and leisure travellers to Spain as well as improving Spanish links with Abu Dhabi and the Middle East.”

Air Europa plans to commence a three times a week direct service between Madrid and Abu Dhabi in late 2014.

Once approved, Etihad Airways will place its EY flight code on the Air Europa flights, offering direct access to Madrid for the first time through its Abu Dhabi hub.

Furthermore, during summer 2014, both airlines plan to expand the number of codeshare destinations to include new cities in Spain and South America via Madrid, and more cities beyond Abu Dhabi across the Gulf region, Africa, Asia, and Australia. – TradeArabia News Service