Etihad Airways and Kuwait Airways have signed a codeshare partnership on selected services.

The deal will take effect on travel from January 5th.

Subject to regulatory approvals, Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on Kuwait Airways operated flights from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait, Najaf and Dhaka.

In turn, the Kuwaiti flag carrier will place its ‘KU’ code on Etihad flights from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi, Belgrade, Casablanca, Rabat, Khartoum, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Male in the Maldives, and Mahe in the Seychelles.

Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “This is a great first step in what we hope will be a mutually beneficial and growing relationship between Kuwait Airways, one of the region’s oldest and most experienced airlines, and Etihad, one of its youngest and most acclaimed.

“The joint network and product advantages of our codeshare collaboration with Kuwait Airways will create tangible benefits for our customers, building on the strong relationship between our two nations, while providing greater convenience and superior in-flight service and hospitality.

“Additionally, it gives Etihad unprecedented access to important markets not served by Etihad, particularly to Iraq and Bangladesh, where we have significant point-to-point and transfer traffic, and complements our existing services to cities such as Istanbul, enabling us to now offer flights to the city’s secondary gateway.”

Etihad Airways currently operates five return daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, and Kuwait Airways serves Abu Dhabi with a daily service.

Kamel Al-Awadhi, chief executive of Kuwait Airways, said: “We welcome Etihad as a codeshare partner.

“This new partnership will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our customers, who can expect the same level of impeccable service that they receive from our airline when they travel on codeshare flights to and from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi and beyond.”