Emirates and Air China signed during the Annual General Meeting of the Air Transport Association IATA a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic framework for developing their existing interline cooperation. The MoU, which is still awaiting approval from the civil aviation authorities of China and the USA, was initialled by Adnan Kazim, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, and Yan Fei, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Air China.
Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding, Emirates and Air China will be developing reciprocal code-sharing on certain routes on their respective networks,...
Emirates and Air China signed during the Annual General Meeting of the Air Transport Association IATA a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a strategic framework for developing their existing interline cooperation. The MoU, which is still awaiting approval from the civil aviation authorities of China and the USA, was initialled by Adnan Kazim, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates, and Yan Fei, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Air China.
Under the terms of the memorandum of understanding, Emirates and Air China will develop reciprocal code-sharing on certain routes in their respective networks, enabling each airline to place its code on the other's flights on the main China-UAE routes, as well as on the main China-UAE routes.beyond Beijing and Dubai to more destinations. The two airlines' respective loyalty programmes will also be coordinated.
To ensure the best possible connectivity for their passengers, the two airlines will be studying the possibility of coordinating flight schedules or reducing stopover times to a minimum.
As soon as the joint implementation is consolidated, customers of both companies will benefit from a simplified booking process, single tickets and more open access to their respective lounges to new destinations.
Emirates to boost its presence in China too. The Emirati carrier will offer 49 weekly flights to China from 30 July. This means two daily flights to Beijing and ShanghaiThere are also daily flights to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou. The airline's expansion into mainland China reflects the strengthening of bilateral ties between the UAE and China.
Adnan Kazim said: " Our partnership with Air China began 26 years ago (in July 1999). Since 2018, around 18,000 Emirates customers have benefited from the increased connectivity offered by our interline agreement. We recently announced the launch of two new routes to Shenzhen and Hangzhou. They will strengthen our operations in East Asia. The route to Shenzhen will feature our latest innovations, including our brand new new Economy Premium cabin" .
From his side, This summer, Air China is linking Dubai with Chongqing (3 flights/week), Hangzhou (3 flights/week) and Beijing (1 daily flight)..
This strengthened cooperation between the two companies gives them an additional advantage in conquering the Europe-China market. Both Emirates and its Chinese counterpart have authorisation to fly over Russian territory. This shortens flight times compared with to European carriers and enables them to offer a more cost-competitive product.
