Alitalia and Etihad airways finalise €1,758 million investment deal

Etihad Airways and Alitalia today announced that they have signed the transaction implementation agreement which will result in a €1,758 million investment to build a reinvigorated Alitalia as a competitive, sustainably profitable business. Here are some of the highlights of the deal…

• Transaction implementation agreement will see Etihad Airways invest €560 million in the Italian carrier, becoming a minority shareholder (subject to regulatory approval), with core Alitalia shareholders committing an additional €300 million

• Additionally, up to €598 million in financial restructuring of short and medium term debt provided by financial institutions and existing bank shareholders

• €300 million new loan facilities extended by Italian financial institutions

• Recapitalisation safeguards thousands of Italian jobs and will allow Alitalia to invest in new long-haul routes, a revitalized brand, and a greater focus on Italian tourism and trade promotion

•Etihad Airways will take a 49 per cent shareholding in Alitalia, for an investment of €387.5 million

•New international routes and flights from more Italian cities to Abu Dhabi and beyond

• Optimised network and increased frequencies will increase competition and choice, while supporting tourism, trade and economic development

• Alitalia to benefit from network integration and cost synergies with Etihad Airways and its equity partners

• Alitalia’s cargo business will be relaunched and expanded, with the establishment of a centre of excellence in Northern Italy

• Goal of sustainable profitability by 2017

• Alitalia revitalised to embody Italian culture, history, art, fashion and food as an Ambassador for Made in Italy

• A revitalized brand, and a greater focus on Italian tourism and trade promotion - boosting inbound tourism

To see live footage of the in high-definition, go to http://youtu.be/aEQDrolAiRY

Travel to six new destinations with Etihad airways

• Network grows to 107 passenger and cargo destinations
• New services will increase coverage in Europe, Asia and Africa
• First non-stop flight launched between Abu Dhabi and Brisbane
• First Class cabin to be added on Singapore, Brisbane and Moscow routes

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will launch six new routes in the first half of 2015, offering even more choice and improved connections to travellers worldwide.

Daily flights will commence to Madrid (Spain) and Edinburgh (Scotland) next year, together with the historic state capital of Kolkata (India) and one of the most important business and government centres in East Africa, Entebbe (Uganda).

The airline will also operate four flights a week to the world-class tourism and economic hub, Hong Kong, and three flights a week to Algeria’s vibrant capital and largest city, Algiers.

In addition, Etihad Airways’ existing daily flights to Brisbane (Australia), currently operated via Singapore, will become a direct service from June 2015, offering the first non-stop connection between the city and Abu Dhabi. The route will be operated using a three-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with the airline’s brand new First Suite, Business Studio and Economy Smart Seat.

Further service upgrades in June 2015 include the introduction of a three-class Airbus A330-300 aircraft on daily flights to Singapore, and a three-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on daytime flights to Moscow, marking the debut of First Class cabins on both of the existing routes.

Launch schedule of new Etihad Airways routes in 2015:

Destination	Launch Date	Frequency
Kolkata	15 February 2015	Daily
Madrid	29 March 2015	Daily
Entebbe	1 May 2015	Daily
Edinburgh	8 June 2015	Daily
Hong Kong	15 June 2015	4 per Week
Algiers	17 June 2015	3 per Week

Etihad Airways partners with Philippine Airlines

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, recently announced its new partnership with the national airline of the Philippines – Philippine Airlines.

The joint codeshare flights between Manila and Abu Dhabi will take off up to 3 times a day, with convenient departure times around the clock.

Flight	From	Depart	To	Arrive	Frequency
EY 421	Manila	01:00	Abu Dhabi	05:45	Daily
PR656/EY3900	Manila	11:45	Abu Dhabi	17:35	Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa
EY 423	Manila	19:10	Abu Dhabi	23:55	Daily

Flight	From	Depart	To	Arrive	Frequency
EY 424	Abu Dhabi	02:20	Manila	15:20	Daily
EY 428	Abu Dhabi	10:10	Manila	23:10	Daily
PR657/EY3901	Abu Dhabi	19:15	Manila	08:25 +1	Tu,We,Th,Fr,Sa

Etihad Airways will also codeshare on flights within the Philippines to 20 cities across the country including popular holiday destinations such as Cebu, Palawan and Kalibo (for Boracay Island). 

Book your flights to Manila today and enjoy DOUBLE Etihad Guest Miles for travel from September to October on ANY Philippine Airlines flights, including codeshare flights from Manila to Abu Dhabi, regional and domestic flights from and within the Philippines. Simply quote your Etihad Guest number when booking and present your Etihad Guest card at check-in.

Singapore Airlines offers free passes to tourist hotspots

Singapore Airlines is offering free passes for any two of its nine tourist hotspots to customers who choose to fly on its jumbo aircraft A380 from Delhi and Mumbai.

Flyers will also be entitled to two days of unlimited rides on the Singapore Airlines hop-on-bus, it said.

Customers can book their travel on the Singapore Airlines A380 flight from Mumbai and New Delhi to Singapore and receive free passes to two tourist attractions in Singapore along with two days of unlimited rides on the SIA Hop-on-Bus, the airline said in a statement.

Singapore Airlines is currently the only carrier which operates A380 aircraft to India. The airline operates the `superjumbo' with total seating capacity of 471 seats (12 suites, 60 business and 399 economy class seats), on Delhi and Mumbai routes.

Gulf airline Emirates is slated to launch its A380 flights in the country on the 21st of this month.

Also, for bookings made until September 30, the airline has offered special economy class return fares to Singapore on the Singapore Airlines A380, starting from Rs 28,700 onwards, the statement added.

This story was originally published in The Economic Times

Infographics: 100 Facts from around the world to celebrate Etihad's 100th fleet

Source: http://flights.etihad.com/en/100-facts-from-around-the-world

Etihad Airways to air all world cup games live on board!

Great news for football fans! If you’re flying with Etihad Airways between 12 June and 13 July, you need not worry about missing a moment of the FIFA World Cup action. The  UAE’s national airline has just announced that passengers will be able to enjoy every match ‘live’ on all long haul aircraft during the month long tournament, the globe’s biggest sporting event.

All 64 games will be transmitted live at 30,000 feet on the airline’s modern, wide-bodied fleet of planes by IMG Media using Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art interactive inflight entertainment system, E-box, powered by Panasonic technology.

The E-box screens are installed in seats for every class of cabin – first, business and economy – so for flying football fans, no-one need miss a goal being scored.

The World Cup kicks off today (Thursday 12 June) with host nation Brazil taking on Croatia in Sao Paulo.  The final will be played on Sunday 13 July in Rio de Janeiro when the global television audience for this single match alone is estimated to reach more than one billion people.

Air Seychelles Paris Flights Now on Sale

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has announced it will launch flights to Paris on 2 July 2014 and tickets are now on sale.

The two return services per week will operate from the Seychelles to Paris via Abu Dhabi, with Air Seychelles deploying its brightly-coloured Airbus A330-200 aircraft on the route, offering 18 lie-flat seats in Business Class and 236 seats in Economy Class.

Manoj Papa, Air Seychelles’ Chief Executive Officer, said:  “Our return to Paris marks another milestone in Air Seychelles’ journey of growing its international operations by flying to and from key markets.

“France has deep cultural and historical ties with the Seychelles and these new flights will allow more travellers to visit our island nation both for business and for leisure.

“The response from stakeholders has been great.  Travel agents, tour operators and business partners now have additional choice and accessibility options, which will help to further promote what the Seychelles has to offer.

“Furthermore, guests will soon experience the world-famous Creole warmth and hospitality to and from the French capital.”

Joel Morgan, Minister for Home Affairs and Transport, and Chairman of Air Seychelles’ Board, said:  "I am delighted the French Civil Aviation Authorities have granted approval for our flights to Paris, which build on the already strong ties between our two countries.

“Air Seychelles’ return to Paris has been a key target of our long-term business strategy, and thanks to our equity partner, Etihad Airways, we have been able to launch the flights faster than may have been achieved otherwise.

“I am pleased that we have been able to respond to the demands for links to Paris from stakeholders and tourism partners, locally and overseas.”

Beyond Paris, Air Seychelles offers guests connections to and from more than 50 cities in 23 countries across Europe.

For further information and bookings, visit www.airseychelles.com , call +248 439 10 00 in Seychelles or +33 1 71 70 33 21 from France.