RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, February 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ —

In a strategic move to expand its access to global destinations, the Saudi national carrier flynas announced it was adding seven new destinations in India as part of its codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates.

This comes as part of an expanded codeshare agreement between the two airlines signed in October 2012. flynas currently operates 18 flights per week from Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam to Abu Dhabi, and the codeshare agreement allows flynas to place its ‘XY’ code on Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and over 20 destinations on its global network.

flynas will add its ‘XY’ code to Etihad operated flights from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Cochin and Kozhikode. These flights will serve a large number of expatriates in Saudi Arabia, and will offer more choice and flexibility for business and leisure passengers travelling between Saudi Arabia and India.

Bandar Al-Muhanna, CEO of NAS Holding, said: “We began 2017 by launching a number of new domestic flights, and now we are expanding our list of international destinations through our partnerships in order to meet the needs of our passengers.

“Our codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways enables us to better serve our guests, by providing them with convenient access to global destinations via the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi. I am confident that these new destinations will prove hugely popular with a large segment of people who need more access to flights between Saudi Arabia and a number of key destinations in India.”

The new codeshare services to India provide a baggage allowance of 30kg per passenger, and guests are able to book flights to these new destinations through the flynas website https://www.flynas.com, or via their local travel agent.

About flynas

Launched in 2007, flynas is the first low-cost carrier in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), with a fleet of 26 A320 aircraft, operating more than 1000 weekly flights on 30 routes within and outside the kingdom. After unveiling a new brand identity in 2013, flynas launched a dedicated Business Class cabin to diversify its offerings and announced a number of significant investments and developments in 2014. This led flynas to win the Middle East’s Leading Low Cost Airline for the World Travel Awards 2015 and also the 2015 Airline of the Year for Supporting Tourism in the Arab World.

About Etihad Aviation Group

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising five business divisions – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways Engineering, Etihad Airport Services, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners. The group has minority investments in seven airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, more than 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of over 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: etihad.com.