Etihad Aviation Group and TUI AG to Partner up in New Venture

The two aviation giants are in talks to create a new airline group that would offer a widespread network.

Etihad Aviation Group and TUI AG have announced plans to create a European leisure airline group, focused on point-to-point flying to connect key tourist markets. According to Breaking Travel News, the project would be to increase the touristic operations of the Airberlin Group and the German TUIfly company.

The new airline group would serve a broad network of destinations from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and it comes as Airberlin is struggling to maintain stability after a huge operational restructuring. The whole project would have the full support of Etihad Aviation Group and use TUI’s global distribution capacity.

“TUI AG, Etihad Aviation Group and Air Berlin PLC intend to finalize an in-principle agreement in due course,” Breaking Travel News reported. Any agreements and decisions will be subject to executive approval.

The TUI Group features a portfolio of over 300 hotels, 14 cruise liners, six European airlines and a widespread distribution network, and accounts for over 1,800 travel agencies and online portals. Airberlin, on the other hand, has partnered with Etihad Airways and features a strategic global route network.

[Photo: Roderick Eime]