Ethiopian seals codeshare pact with United Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines (ET), a strategic partner with Malawian Airlines Limited, has entered into a codeshare agreement with United Airlines beginning August 30 2014, group chief executive officer Tewolde Gebremariam has said.
A codeshare agreement is an aviation business arrangement where two or more airlines share the same flight.
Gebremariam said the new codeshare agreement between the two Star Alliance members covers the Addis Ababa–Washington D.C. trunk route, as well as points in Africa and the United States.
ET is a strategic partner of Malawian Airlines Limited and owns 49 percent stake in the company with the rest held by the Malawi government.
“With this codeshare agreement, travellers between the US and Africa will be able to enjoy unmatched and seamless connectivity options thanks to United’s strong network in the US and Ethiopian’s unparalleled coverage of east, central, southern and western African destinations,” reads statement signed by Gebremariam.
He said the agreement will enable the two carriers to tap into new market opportunities and be competitive in the fast-growing Africa-US travel market and give a wider choice of connectivity options to their customers travelling between Africa and the US.
A representative of United Airlines Jim Compton said that the codeshare gives customers travelling between Africa and America many options.
“In addition to nonstop flights between the US and Ethiopian capital, the new service will provide Ethiopian’s customers with convenient connections to destinations throughout the Americas from our Washington Dulles hub and will offer United customers access to more destinations in Ethiopian’s extensive network,” he said.
ET is a global Pan-African carrier currently serving 82 international destinations across five continents with over 200 daily flights, using latest technology in aircraft such as the B777s and B787s.
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of more than 5 200 flights a day to 374 airports across six continents.
In 2013, United Airlines and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers.
With hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft and, in 2014, will take delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 as the North American launch customer, and will welcome 32 new Embraer 175 aircraft to United Express.
The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 27 member airlines.
