Etihad, Aer Lingus sign codeshare agreement

Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates carrier, said Monday it has signed a codeshare agreement with Aer Lingus, two months after it acquired a small stake in the Irish airline. "Etihad Airways and Aer Lingus have signed an historic interline and codeshare agreement which follows the UAE national airline?s recent 2.987 per cent equity purchase in the Irish carrier," it said in a statement. The agreement will allow Etihad to fly its passengers arriving in Dublin on Aer Lingus flights to London, Manchester or other destinations in Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands and the United States. In exchange, Aer Lingus passengers arriving in Abu Dhabi will be able to board Etihad flights for Australia, Asia and the Middle East. Etihad currently has 10 flights a week to Dublin. It announced on May 1 that it had acquired a stake of 2.987 percent in Aer Lingus, adding to its 30 percent controlling interest in airberlin and 40 percent holding in Air Seychelles. With a fleet of 67 aircraft, it flies to 87 passenger and cargo destinations worldwide. It has ordered another 100 planes, including 10 Airbus A380s.