BERLIN, GERMANY – Emirates and ITA Airways have today inked an MoU for the expansion of their existing interline into a full codeshare partnership. Once activated, the codeshare will boost […]
BERLIN, GERMANY – Emirates and ITA Airways have today inked an MoU for the expansion of their existing interline into a full codeshare partnership. Once activated, the codeshare will boost travel options and connection choices for customers travelling between Dubai, Italy and beyond.
The MoU signed will establish the foundations to strengthen the partnership between both airlines, creating one-stop connections to popular cities across Italy and wider Europe with ITA Airways, and opening up simpler and faster journeys to the Emirates network from Dubai with the best routes, schedules and connections.
Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, Emirates Airline said: “Enhancing our partnerships and boosting our presence in key regions such as Europe is an integral part of our commercial strategy, and underscores our commitment to providing customers flexibility through our partners’ complementary networks. Working closely with ITA Airways will strengthen our footprint across exciting cities in Italy, and key points in Europe. We look forward to fully activate our partnership with ITA Airways in the coming months and providing unrivalled access to both of our growing networks.”
Antonino Turicchi, Chairman of ITA Airways said: “We are pleased to sign this codeshare partnership with Emirates today. This MoU further enhances ITA Airways’ commercial strategy of growth and opens up a privileged access route to all passengers who will benefit the connectivity via Rome Fiumicino and Dubai. This agreement marks the Company’s 35th codeshare partnership, an excellent result we have achieved in just over two years.”
Under the planned codeshare, Emirates’ customers will be able to smoothly travel to a number of domestic cities in Italy from the airline’s gateway in Rome, including popular tourist destinations like Florence, Genoa, Palermo, Trieste, among others. Customers will also be able to connect to cities across Europe including Tirana, Sofia, and other major cities.
ITA Airways customers will benefit from significantly enhanced choices by connecting to the Emirates route network from Dubai via the airline’s Rome services. The connectivity provided between Emirates and ITA Airways will eventually offer combined ticketing and seamless baggage transfers. The planned agreement will also support inbound visitation to Italian points from regions across the Emirates network, including Australia, the Far East, Middle East/GCC and West Asia.
The MoU also seeks to establish extending reciprocal loyalty benefits on both airlines’ frequent flyer programmes at a later stage.
Once the necessary government and regulatory approvals are obtained, the codeshare flights will progressively be made available to customers across online and travel agency platforms.
Emirates has been serving Italy since 1992. The airline currently operates 41 weekly flights between Dubai and its four Italian gateways including Rome, Milan, Venice and Bologna with a mix of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s.
Emirates has also signed MoUs with Icelandair and travel technology and ticketing specialist GO7 to develop deeper commercial cooperation. The move comes as the airlines look to leverage each other’s networks, in addition to using modern tools for more efficient combined air and rail ticket connections.
Both the MoUs will set the framework to establish potential codeshare cooperations across the networks of each respective airline in addition to expanding intermodal programmes offered by virtual interlines across the Emirates network.
The MoU with Icelandair was signed by Helgi Bjorgvinsson, Director Partnerships & Corporate Affairs Icelandair (left) and Anand Lakshminarayanan, SVP Revenue Optimisation Emirates Airline (right).
Adnan Kazim said: “We are pleased to deepen our partnerships with Icelandair and GO7. Their networks and intermodal capabilities complement our European presence, providing an array of connections for our customers to simplify their journeys. Together, we will open up new travel opportunities, and more choice for customers wishing to travel across Europe. We believe that these partnerships will bring real benefits to our customers and business, and we’re taking positive steps towards further strengthening our relationships in the future.”
Emirates has partnered with travel technology and ticketing specialist GO7 to work on a holistic airline distribution approach, enabling Emirates to offer combined interline and rail tickets to worldwide destinations through Emirates’ direct and indirect channels, outside of the traditional booking ecosystem.
Left to right: Peer Winter, Chief Distribution Officer GO7 Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer.
Peer Winter, Chief Distribution Officer, GO7 said: “We’re committed to providing airlines with innovative technology-led solutions that give them more control. We are delighted to sign this MoU with Emirates, building upon our successful history together. With Emirates already offering multimodal network connections through the GDS, including Rail & Fly via W2 by GO7, our new agreement takes it further. This partnership will provide a holistic approach to Airline Distribution for Emirates, enabling them to strengthen their offering across their direct channels. Passengers will be able to complete their journeys seamlessly with multiple airlines and rail operators through a single ticket, bypassing traditional industry channels.”
Emirates and Icelandair are working towards expanding on their existing interline partnership into a reciprocal codeshare agreement. The planned codeshare will provide travellers connecting to Emirates gateways in Europe convenient access to Reykjavik (REK). Emirates will initially place its “EK” marketed code on best connecting Icelandair flights, and Icelandair will place its code on operated flights between various gateways in Europe, Dubai and beyond to the airline’s extensive network. A full roster of destinations will be communicated at a later stage. Customers will benefit from single-ticket travel with competitive fares, and one-stop baggage check-in to a myriad of destinations once the codeshare is fully activated.
Bogi Nils Bogason, Icelandair president and CEO said: “We are excited to announce our upcoming strategic partnership with Emirates, opening new opportunities for our customers across the Middle East and Asia. Emirates will become Icelandair’s 7th global airline codeshare partner. We have and will continue to expand our network of partner airlines, focusing on working with airlines that offer great service and connectivity. We welcome Emirates as a partner and look forward to working with them to make the journeys of our passengers smooth and enjoyable.”
Once the necessary government and regulatory approvals are obtained, the codeshare flights will progressively be made available to customers across online and travel agency platforms.
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