Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and EGYPTAIR, the flag carrier of Egypt, have announced a new codeshare partnership to be introduced in phases from March 1, 2017. 

"Under the initial phase of the agreement, Etihad Airways will place its ‘EY’ code on EGYPTAIR operated flights between Abu Dhabi and Cairo, while EGYPTAIR will place its ‘MS’ code on Etihad Airways flights between the two capital cities," said a release from Etihad. 

During the second phase, Etihad Airways will gain access to major cities across Africa on flights operated by EGYPTAIR via its Cairo hub. In turn, EGYPTAIR will be able to access key routes to Australia and the Far East served by Etihad Airways from its Abu Dhabi operational hub. The third phase will see the EY code placed on domestic flights across Egypt, the release added.