Etihad Airways customers around the world will soon be able to fly to Budapest following the signing of a new codeshare agreement with Hungarian carrier, Malev Airlines.

The new deal, which comes into effect in September 2010, will also give air travellers in Hungary greater and easier access to the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s network of 61 destinations.

Under the deal, Etihad will place its two-letter ‘EY’ code on services operated by Malev between Budapest and Athens, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan. In turn, Malev will place its ‘MA’ code on Etihad’s flights between those cities and Abu Dhabi.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, said: “By expanding our codeshare network to include Malev Airlines, Etihad continues to offer its services to greater numbers of travellers around the world.

“Budapest is one of Europe’s famous historical and commercial capitals and attracts significant volumes of business and we look forward to working with our colleagues at Malev to provide seamless travel between our respective hubs and beyond.”

Karim Makhlouf, Malév Chief Commercial Officer, said: “Budapest provides visiting business travellers and tourists alike multicultural traditions, a colourful and vibrant life as well as, from a business perspective, numerous investment opportunities.

“Under the terms of the agreement between the two airlines, the quality services of Etihad Airways become accessible – with a Malév ticket – for all those who wish to travel from Budapest, or from the region, to Abu-Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.”