Middle East carrier Etihad Airways has leased a Virgin Australia Boeing 777-300ER for use on its route between Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, further strengthening the relationship between the two carriers. The airline currently operates a daily service between Abu Dhabi and the Malaysian capital but will use the Virgin Australia aircraft on just one of the seven flights. The aircraft is configured with 33 flat bed seats in Business Class and 328 seats in Economy Class.

“This new agreement expands our successful partnership with Virgin Australia which already provides our guests access to Australia and elsewhere on our combined network of over 150 destinations,” said Kevin Knight, Chief Strategy and Planning Officer at Etihad Airways. “Working together with our partner Virgin Australia we continue to find new ways to serve our guests and create value for each of our airlines.”

Etihad Airways launched flights on the Abu Dhabi – Kuala Lumpur route in January 2007; some three- and-a-half years after Gulf Air suspended its own flights between the two cities. In 2011 an estimated 36,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route. This represents a significant decline on the previous year when long-haul, low-cost carrier AirAsia X had also served the route for the first three months of the year, stimulating the market with its low fares. Its decision to end flights in March 2010 has meant that Etihad Airways has strengthened its own share of the market, up from 36 per cent in 2010 to 56 per cent last year.