Etihad Airways strengthens its African network with three partnerships in July

Agreements with Fastjet, Air Peace and Africa World Airlines will carry Etihad's guests onward across the continent when its six new African routes launch from November 2026

Abu Dhabi, UAE – Etihad Airways has signed three African partnership agreements in July: an interline agreement with Fastjet in Zimbabwe earlier this month, followed by agreements with Air Peace in Nigeria and Africa World Airlines in Ghana. Together with the six African destinations Etihad announced in April, the agreements mean guests will connect across the continent from the day the new routes begin.

The interline agreement with Air Peace, Nigeria's largest airline, signed in Lagos on 22 July, opens 20 destinations across Nigeria, West and Central Africa to Etihad's guests. The Memorandum of Understanding with Africa World Airlines, the Accra-based carrier serving Ghana and the wider region, signed in Accra on 24 July, sets out cooperation across codeshare, interline, cargo and loyalty.

The week completes a month of partnership building that began with Fastjet Zimbabwe, whose network extends Etihad's reach into Southern Africa ahead of the airline's Harare flights. The July agreements also build on Etihad's strategic joint venture partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, and together they let Etihad carry its guests far beyond the destinations it serves with its own aircraft.

The African partnerships follow a deliberate sequence. In April, Etihad announced six new destinations across the continent, positioning Abu Dhabi as an efficient corridor between Africa, India and Asia for guests and for cargo, where demand is outpacing supply in trade-linked sectors. The new partnerships mean that when those routes launch, guests will connect onward across West and Southern Africa from day one. The timing mirrors the UAE's own deepening ties with the continent, exemplified by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed with Nigeria in January 2026.

Arik De, Etihad Airways Chief Commercial and Revenue Officer, said: "Africa is one of the fastest-growing aviation regions in the world, and this month we have moved quickly to grow with it. Three agreements in July, each shaped to its market: the reach of Fastjet in Southern Africa, the breadth of Air Peace's network and the depth of a strategic framework with Africa World Airlines. When our new African routes take off, the partner network behind them will already be in place."