Hong Kong Airlines and UAE national carrier Etihad Airways have expanded their codeshare agreement to offer improved connections between Australasia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. The expansion brings the total number of services under the codeshare between the two airlines to 14.

The Hong Kong carrier will now be placing its HX code on Etihad’s flights between the Abu Dhabi and destinations in Europe and North America. These include Paris, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Manchester, Milan, Munich, New York and Zurich.

Meanwhile, Etihad’s EY code will now appear on Hong Kong Airlines’ flights between Hong Kong and Auckland, which began last week on Friday 11 November.

“There is an increasingly strong demand in Asia for travel to the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] region, Europe and the Americas,” said Li Dianchun, chief commercial officer for the Hong Kong carrier. “On the other hand, visitors from the GCC region and even Europe will also enjoy convenient connections via Hong Kong to Auckland, one of the most popular destinations in the southern hemisphere.”

The two airlines began codesharing in December 2014, with a subsequent expansion taking place in June 2015 to encompass Etihad Airways’ Madrid and Hong Kong services. Etihad will also be increasing the frequency of its Madrid service from a four-times-weekly flight to daily starting June 1, 2017, on which Hong Kong airlines will also codeshare.

“Our codeshare agreement with Hong Kong Airlines was initiated in 2014 with a primary focus on enhanced connectivity between Asia and the Middle East,” said Kevin Knight, chief strategy and planning officer at Etihad Aviation Group. “Ever since then, we have continuously reviewed opportunities to provide improved offerings and greater access to our customers in Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and beyond.”

Hong Kong Airlines recently began offering a daily direct service to Incheon, along with announcing an expanded service to Gold Coast/Cairns in Australia over the holiday season.

hkairlines.com; etihad.com