UAE national airline Etihad Airways and Avianca Brasil, one of the leading airlines in Latin America, have announced a major codeshare partnership that will offfer travellers convenient connections to and from eight other Brazilian destinations..

Under the agreement, Etihad Airways will put its 'EY' code on domestic flights operated by Avianca Brasil, while Avianca Brasil will put its 'O6' code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo.

Travellers on Etihad Airways flights between São Paulo (GRU) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) and beyond will benefit from convenient connections to and from eight other Brazilian destinations on Avianca Brasil, including Rio de Janeiro (GIG), Curitiba (CWB), Florianópolis (FLN), Fortaleza (FOR), Porto Alegre (POA), Recife (REC), Salvador (SSA), and Maceió (MCZ), said a statement from Etihad.

“Avianca is an important strategic partner for Etihad Airways in South America. In addition to the codeshare agreement recently signed with Avianca Colombia, we are further strengthening our presence in Brazil by offering our guests more convenience and connections with a single combined ticket,” said Martin Drew, Senior VP (Americas) at Etihad Airways.

“Through its main hub in Abu Dhabi, Etihad will offer our customers excellent options of connection flights, especially to destinations in Africa, Asia and Oceania, where Avianca Brasil doesn’t operate directly. This partnership is important because it adds even more value to the services we offer our passengers,” explained Frederico Pedreira, the president of Avianca Brasil.

Codeshare agreements offer guests countless benefits, such as direct baggage check-in to their final destination and extra assistance during connections. Later this year, Etihad Guest members and Avianca Brasil’s Amigo members will be able to earn and redeem miles on codeshare flights, he added.

Etihad said it has been flying between Abu Dhabi and São Paulo, its first destination in South America, since June 2013.

By the end of 2015 the airline had carried over 340,000 passengers on the route. Avianca Brasil serves 22 cities in its home country with over 200 daily flights. In 2015, the carrier transported 8.5 million customers, it added.-TradeArabia News Service