Etihad Airways and Ethiopian Airlines have officially activated a strategic codeshare partnership, a move that strengthens connectivity and opens a world of travel opportunities between Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, the carriers shared. Announced on Monday, this bilateral agreement, initially formalized in March, is now live, with seats available for booking across the combined networks of both carriers.
The partnership paves the way for new flight routes, with Ethiopian set to launch services from Addis Ababa to Abu Dhabi on July 15. Etihad will follow, introducing daily flights to Addis Ababa starting Oct. 8. Abu Dhabi becomes Ethiopian Airlines’ 145th global destination, while Addis Ababa joins Etihad’s expanding 2025 network as its 15th new addition.
This codeshare, a precursor to a joint venture agreed upon in March 2025, simplifies travel with single-ticket bookings, one check-in process, and baggage transfers to final destinations. Passengers of Etihad gain access to Ethiopian’s African network, connecting via Addis Ababa to 55 destinations across 33 countries, including Entebbe, Kinshasa, Kigali, Lusaka, Harare, and Victoria Falls.
In return, Ethiopian passengers can tap into Etihad’s services through Abu Dhabi, reaching 20 key destinations in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, such as Sydney, Krabi, Colombo, and Phnom Penh.
Etihad currently serves four other African destinations: Cairo, Casablanca, Johannesburg, and Nairobi. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier also announced a new route to El Alamein, Egypt, beginning in July 2025.
Etihad reported its best-ever quarterly earnings last month, with a filing revealing a 30% surge in after-tax profits to $187 million for the first three months of 2025. The airline posted revenues of $1.79 billion, a 15% year-over-year increase, driven by steady passenger demand, expanded seating capacity, improved operational efficiencies, and growth in cargo revenues.
Passenger revenues climbed 16% to $1.5 billion, supported by a record five million passengers carried. Etihad, which has its main hub at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, currently serves 80 destinations worldwide, mainly in the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia.
