Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is expanding its Saudi network through a new five-times-per-week service between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi operated by its codeshare partner flynas.

Commencing on Dec. 16, the new flynas service will complement Etihad Airways’ existing 13 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, to provide guests with 18 weekly flights and greater choice and flexibility whether travelling from Saudi Arabia, the UAE or beyond.

The flights will be operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft, offering an additional 1,640 seats per week, and ensuring maximum connectivity through Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub to key destinations in North America and the Indian Subcontinent.

This comes as part of an expanded codeshare agreement between the two airlines, which was initially signed in October 2012. The current codeshare scope allows flynas to place its XY code on 226 Etihad Airways’ flights between Abu Dhabi and 20 destinations around the world.

These include Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Amsterdam, Brussels, Casablanca, Geneva, Islamabad, Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, London, Manchester, Paris, São Paulo, Seychelles, Singapore, Zurich, and subsequently on flights operating to the Indian Subcontinent over the coming months, subject to regulatory approvals.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said: “Riyadh is an important strategic destination for us due to the established cultural and commercial ties between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The new flynas Riyadh service will strengthen our Saudi network further.”

Bander Al-Mohanna, NAS Holding CEO, said: “We are delighted to partner with Etihad Airways to add Abu Dhabi to flynas’ destinations within the GCC. flynas continues to expand across the region and by adding Abu Dhabi to our GCC route network, we are significantly increasing both capacity and choice for travelers.”

Etihad Airways launched services between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in December 2004.