Scope of MoU includes provision for coordinated Engineering and Cargo services in Abu Dhabi and Manama
Gulf Air and Etihad Airways are set to explore deeper cooperation following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the recently concluded Bahrain International Airshow 2018 in the Kingdom.
The wide-ranging MoU covers scope to introduce joint codeshare operations between Abu Dhabi and Manama, as well as on the global flight networks beyond the two carriers’ GCC hubs.
The MoU also contains plans for greater commercial cooperation in the fields of cargo, engineering, guest experience and the optimisation of pilot training facilities.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Bahrain International Airshow 2018 at the Sakhir Airbase by Tony Douglas, Group CEO, Etihad Aviation Group, and Krešimir Kučko, CEO, Gulf Air.
“The relationship between Bahrain and UAE is strong in many fields including aviation and today with the signing of this MOU we enrich the relationship by cooperating with Etihad Airways,” asserted Kučko.
“We look forward to the Etihad and Gulf Air teams coming together during the next few months to look at how we can put that in place, whether it is in codeshare, engineering, cargo, or through our frequent flyer programmes,” commented Douglas.
The teams in both carriers’ engineering and cargo divisions are also set to begin talks about greater cooperation. These discussions would look at optimising MRO (maintenance repair operations) opportunities, as well as ways to increase volumes of freighter traffic flowing into and out of Abu Dhabi and Bahrain.
