Avianca Enters into Codeshare Agreement with Emirates

Global aviation giant Emirates and Colombian airline Avianca recently launched a codeshare agreement that will allow customers to connect more easily across each others’ flight networks.

“Emirates customers flying on its network via Madrid, Barcelona, or London (Heathrow) can go directly to three points in Colombia and enjoy seamless connectivity, plus other travel benefits that offer more convenience,” said Emirates in a statement. “Codeshare flights will include Madrid to Bogotá, Medellín or Cali; Barcelona to Bogotá; and London to Bogotá.”

For its part, Avianca will place its code on routes operated by Emirates between Barcelona, Madrid or London (Heathrow) and Dubai.

“Customers of both airlines,” added Emirates, “will enjoy the convenience of smoother connectivity, a single booking on a single ticket with no hassle, while taking advantage of the advantage of securing competitive fares and a single checked baggage allowance to the final destination.”

The agreement comes just a few months after Avianca publicly opposed Emirates entry to the Colombian market.

Specifically, the Colombian carrier complained that “Emirates just wants to exploit mature markets” and threatened that hundreds of jobs would be put at risk.

Such claims did not sway the Andean nation’s regulators, which approved Emirates’ request for authorization to become a foreign operator to operate international regular public transport air services on international routes to and from Colombia, from Dubai and Bogotá, with a stopover in the city of Miami.

“The codeshare agreement will allow us to expand our reach and allow our customers to use our services and fly to additional popular points in Colombia,” said Adnan Kazim, deputy president and chief commercial officer at Emirates.