Rak Airways, Etihad sign codesharing

Rak Airways, one of the flagship carriers of the UAE, on Wednesday made history by becoming the UAE flag carrier to begin domestic flights from Ras Al Khaimah to Abu Dhabi and also signed a code sharing agreement with Etihad Airways.

“This agreement with Etihad will give us an extended reach. We cannot grow organically to match the likes of Qatar airways or compete against Etihad or Emirates. We knew this from the very beginning.

Etihad’s policy and strategy is also based on alliances and partnerships to help spread their business,” said John Brayford, CEO of Rak Airways.

“Our inaugural flights we had three types of passengers who came in from Peshawar late night and flew today to Abu Dhabi. We had small number of domestic passengers who came to Abu Dhabi to do business and then we had code-sharing passengers going for leisure to Bangkok and Manila with Etihad. I don’t think we have touched the potential of the domestic travel and that’s why we plan to double daily flights from April next year as part of our third aircraft acquisition,” Brayford said.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is the first time Etihad Airways will have its ‘EY’ code on a domestic UAE flight which is an exciting milestone for us. We look forward to welcoming air travellers through Abu Dhabi and onto international flights across the Etihad Airways network.”

Rak Airways flights will be operated weekly on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday to depart from Abu Dhabi at 10:00 am and from Ras Al Khaimah at 6:40 am, with plans to increase operations to daily flights between the two emirates by the end of 2012.

The inaugural flight at Abu Dhabi airport was received by senior officials of Etihad Airways and Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac).

Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Chairman of Department of Civil Aviation of Ras Al Khaimah, Sheikh Mohammed bin Qaid Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Department of Economic Development of Ras Al Khaimah, and John Brayford arrived Abu Dhabi onboard the first domestic flight and were greeted at Abu Dhabi International Airport by Adac CEO, James E. Bennett, and Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operation Officer of Adac.

Bennett said: “Adac is pleased to see more domestic routes use Abu Dhabi International Airport, helping domestic travellers to reach hundreds of global destinations with ease. In addition, domestic flights from the capital’s international airport will also provide international guests with an opportunity to explore other emirates in the UAE.”

“Our pioneering codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways, which begins today, has certainly created a buzz in the marketplace. We are delighted with the high level of interest shown and this augurs well for the future success of the Abu Dhabi route. I would like to thank everyone involved, especially Abu Dhabi Airports Company and the various Regulatory Authorities, for their support and cooperation without which our first flight today would not have been the success that it is,” Brayford said.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.