Emirates and Air China are strengthening a long-term partnership to offer customers enhanced frequent flyer benefits and easier transport between the UAE and China.
Emirates and Air China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic framework for expanding their existing reciprocal interline cooperation.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said: “Our partnership with Air China commenced 26 years ago, and approximately 18,000 Emirates customers have benefited from the expanded connectivity offered through our interline agreement.
Emirates and Air China flights
“Building on this success, we’ve recently announced the launch of two new Chinese cities—Shenzhen and Hangzhou—which will strengthen our East Asia operations.”
Yan Fei, Air China’s Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer said: “Air China highly values the cooperation with Emirates. The signing of this memorandum is an important milestone for the deepening of the cooperation between the two sides.”
Under the MoU, Emirates and Air China will explore a reciprocal codeshare on select routes across each other’s networks. This would allow each airline to place its code on the other’s flights on China-UAE trunk routes as well as beyond Beijing and Dubai to an expanded list of points.
Emirates and Air China will also develop a framework for cooperation across cargo operations and respective frequent flyer loyalty programme, enhancing their value proposition for both travellers and businesses.
To further ensure seamless connectivity for customers, the two carriers will explore coordinating flight schedules or adjusting minimum connecting times.
Once activated, customers of both airlines will benefit from a seamless booking process, single ticket itineraries and wider lounge access to new and exciting destinations.
Beyond commercial cooperation, both carriers plan to exchange best practices in areas such as revenue management, data analytics, digitalisation, brand management and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), among others, through joint knowledge sharing and familiarisation visits.
From July 30, Emirates will operate 49 weekly flights to the Chinese mainland, including double daily services to Beijing and Shanghai as well as daily flights to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hangzhou.
The signing took place on the sidelines of the 81st Annual General Meeting (IATA AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS) in New Delhi.
