Etihad Airways and EL AL Israel Airlines, the national carrier of Israel, have launched a joint codeshare network and reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers.

This builds on the memorandum of understanding the airlines signed in 2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel.

Available for sale from today, for flights from July 18th, EL AL will add its ‘LY’ code to Etihad’s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv.

Beyond Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub, this new partnership will extend further and is planned to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from August 1st.

In the next phase of extending the codeshare agreement, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, Etihad will offer guests an additional 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its ‘EY’ code to EL AL flights.

Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said: “We are very pleased to be able to announce the launch of our codeshare and frequent flyer partnership with El Al.

“This partnership will provide additional choice and connectivity for both carriers’ guests, and a range of benefits for frequent travellers between and beyond our respective hubs in Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv.”