Emirates and Air Mauritius have renewed their longstanding partnership, agreeing to expand cooperation across codesharing, cargo services, and frequent flyer programmes.
The agreement strengthens their ongoing collaboration that began in 2003 and was previously renewed in 2013.
Expanded codeshare routes
Under the renewed memorandum of understanding (MoU), Air Mauritius will continue placing its code on Emirates-operated flights to destinations including Cairo, Colombo, Karachi, Dammam, Jeddah, and Riyadh. Emirates will retain its codeshare on Air Mauritius’ route to Antananarivo. Additional interline agreements will allow broader access to each airline’s global networks.
Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, said: “Our strategic, long-standing partnership with Air Mauritius continues to provide customers of both airlines with travel benefits such as seamless connections on select routes, ability to conveniently using a single ticket for the entire journey, as well as opportunities to earn and redeem rewards on both frequent flyer programmes.”
Supporting tourism and trade
Emirates has been operating flights to Mauritius since 2002. Since then, the airline has carried over 8.8 million passengers and more than 126,000 tonnes of cargo to and from the island. The airline currently operates 14 weekly flights to Mauritius using its A380 aircraft.
According to Emirates, the partnership has contributed an estimated USD900 million in annual benefits to Mauritius, including Dhs437 million (USD119 million) from direct airline operations and Dhs971 million (USD264 million) in tourism receipts. Emirates’ presence is also credited with supporting 3,600 jobs in the country.
Kremchand (Kishore) Beegoo, Chairman of Air Mauritius, said: “The renewal of our longstanding partnership with Emirates marks an important milestone for Air Mauritius. Emirates is one of our key strategic partners, and this enhanced agreement further deepens the strong relationship between our two airlines.”
Global airline cooperation
The agreement also enhances frequent flyer programme collaboration and cargo coordination between the two carriers. Emirates, which currently has 164 cooperation agreements with other carriers, said this partnership is part of its wider strategy to strengthen global connectivity.
tanvir@dubainewsweek.com
