New Delhi: Emirates and Air China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a strategic framework for expanding their existing reciprocal interline cooperation. The signing took place on the sidelines of the 81st Annual General Meeting (IATA AGM) and World Air Transport Summit (WATS).
According to Emirates News Agency, the MoU was signed by Adnan Kazim, Emirates' Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer, and Yan Fei, Air China's Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer, accompanied by senior executives from both sides. The partnership between Emirates and Air China, which began 26 years ago, has benefited approximately 18,000 Emirates customers through expanded connectivity offered through their interline agreement. Building on this success, Emirates recently announced the launch of two new Chinese cities, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, which will strengthen their East Asia operations.
Yan Fei expressed Air China's high value for the cooperation with Emirates, stating that the signing of the memorandum is an important milestone for deepening their partnership. Under the MoU, Emirates and Air China will explore a reciprocal codeshare on select routes across each other's networks, allowing each airline to place its code on the other's flights on China-UAE trunk routes and beyond Beijing and Dubai to an expanded list of points.
The two airlines will also develop a framework for cooperation across cargo operations and respective frequent flyer loyalty programs, enhancing the value proposition for both travelers and businesses. To ensure seamless connectivity for customers, the carriers will explore coordinating flight schedules or adjusting minimum connecting times. Once activated, customers will benefit from a seamless booking process, single ticket itineraries, and wider lounge access to a range of destinations.
Beyond commercial cooperation, Emirates and Air China plan to exchange best practices in areas such as revenue management, data analytics, digitalization, brand management, and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through joint knowledge sharing and familiarization visits. From 30th July, 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.