About 4,000 passengers have used the code-sharing agreement between Etihad Airways and Aer Lingus in the first four months of its operation, according to figures supplied by the UAE carrier to The Irish Times.
On the fringes of the Global Airfinance Conference in Dublin, Etihad’s chief executive James Hogan said yesterday the arrangement was a “good partnership” for the airline.
“We’d like to tag more cities on, especially Australian cities,” he added.
Etihad owns just under 3 per cent of Aer Lingus. Mr Hogan said other areas of co-operation in “purchasing and technology” are under consideration.
Etihad carried 215,000 passengers on its Dublin-Abu Dhabi route last year and plans to increase capacity by 30 per cent this year by placing a larger aircraft on the service.
Etihad said yesterday it had made a profit in 2012, although a figure will not be disclosed until next month.
Mr Hogan said revenues last year were close to $5 billion.
