Etihad Airways and Philippine Airlines have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a renewed partnership that includes code sharing, frequent flyer reciprocity, airport lounge access, air pass agreements, and cargo cooperation.
PAL President and COO, Ramon S Ang, said: “We are very happy to seal this partnership with Etihad, a respected global carrier. This relationship will go a long way in providing our combined customer base a much more enhanced set of travel options. This also comes at an opportune time for PAL which is in the thick of a fleet modernisation and expansion program that will see the flag carrier pushing further not only into the Middle East but also on other parts of the globe using a modern fleet of aircraft.”
Etihad’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr James Hogan said: “The MoU symbolises our shared commitment to growing the passenger and cargo market between the UAE and Philippines and fostering closer diplomatic, trade and cultural ties. Closer collaboration in our home markets and in the global arena will enhance the competitiveness and appeal of our offering and deliver an unrivalled customer proposition in the UAE, in the Philippines and abroad.”
There are more than 700,000 Filipinos who live in the UAE and who account for much of the traffic on the Abu Dhabi-Manila route each year. Both airlines hope to increase the number of leisure travellers to the Philippines – in particular from the Middle East and Europe.
Mr Hogan also identified the potential for both airlines to increase the volume and value of trade.
What started out as only four weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Manila on its Airbus A330-200 on February 2006 has evolved to twice-daily Boeing 777-300ER flights. Last year, the Abu Dhabi-Manila route was the airline’s second busiest route (547,68 passengers) in its global network. The airline employs nearly 1000 Filipinos worldwide including more than 270 cabin crew and over 20 pilots.