Air Europa has recently made a significant move in the aviation industry by operating regular daily services on the Madrid-Barajas to Abu Dhabi route in partnership with Etihad Airways. Under a wet-lease agreement, the Spanish airline is flying one of Etihad's two daily services to Madrid. This marks Air Europa's debut in scheduled services in the Middle East, expanding its existing long-haul network connecting Spain to Latin America.

To fulfill this service, Air Europa is utilizing its Boeing 787-9 aircraft equipped with 32 Business class and 307 Economy seats. Comparatively, Etihad's Madrid services operate with a slightly different configuration, offering a total of 290 seats with 28 Business and 262 Economy class seats. This collaboration reflects the growing partnership between the two airlines, which have previously engaged in code-sharing on routes between Abu Dhabi and Spain.

With the increasing traffic between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Spain, the partnership underscores Air Europa and Etihad's commitment to exploring opportunities for strategic collaboration. Notably, Etihad's competitor Emirates has also announced plans to enhance its Barcelona service from October 2025, introducing a third daily flight operated by a Boeing 777-300ER. As these airlines strengthen their presence and offerings on key routes, passengers can look forward to enhanced connectivity and travel options between these popular destinations.

(Source: Pilotcenter.net News)