Etihad Airways and Maldivian have entered into a new loyalty partnership that will allow Etihad Guest members to use their accumulated miles to book flights operated by the Maldives’ national carrier.
The agreement, signed at Arabian Travel Market, will expand redemption options for Etihad Guest members travelling to the Maldives, particularly passengers seeking onward connections from Velana International Airport to destinations across the country’s domestic aviation network.
Under the partnership, members of Etihad Airways’ Etihad Guest loyalty programme will be able to redeem miles on Maldivian flights serving islands and atolls beyond the capital. The arrangement will also cover destinations within Maldivian’s wider regional network in the Asia Pacific region.
The airlines have not yet announced a date for when mileage redemptions will become available, saying the facility will be introduced soon.
Maldivian Managing Director Ibrahim Iyas said the agreement would combine Etihad’s international connectivity with Maldivian’s extensive domestic network, providing visitors with another option for reaching destinations outside Malé.
“This partnership will bring Etihad’s reach into the Maldives together with our own domestic network, the largest in the country,” Iyas said.
He added that Etihad Guest members arriving in Malé would be able to use miles accumulated through the programme to continue their journeys to islands and atolls served by Maldivian.
Etihad Guest Managing Director Mark Potter said the arrangement would give loyalty programme members greater flexibility when using their miles, particularly for journeys that previously required passengers to make a separate booking for domestic travel in the Maldives.
The latest partnership expands an existing relationship between the two national carriers.
Etihad and Maldivian signed an interline agreement in 2024, enabling passengers travelling to the Maldives to book international and domestic sectors under a single ticket. Through that arrangement, Etihad passengers can connect through Malé to 17 airports in the Maldives served by Maldivian.
The new loyalty agreement effectively adds another layer to that partnership, allowing eligible passengers to use Etihad Guest Miles for travel on Maldivian’s network rather than purchasing the onward sector separately.
Domestic air connectivity plays a significant role in the Maldives’ tourism industry, where many resorts and inhabited islands are located considerable distances from the country’s main international gateway in the Greater Malé region. Travellers commonly continue from Velana International Airport by domestic flight, seaplane or speedboat to reach their final destinations.
Maldivian operates the country’s largest domestic airline network, connecting Malé with airports across the northern and southern atolls while also operating international services to destinations in the region.
For Etihad, the partnership strengthens connectivity beyond Malé as the airline continues to serve the Maldives from its Abu Dhabi hub. The arrangement is particularly aimed at leisure travellers who want to combine an Etihad international journey with onward travel to islands elsewhere in the country.
Once the redemption facility is launched, Etihad Guest members will have two options stemming from the airlines’ partnership: purchasing connecting travel through the existing interline arrangement or using accumulated Guest Miles to redeem eligible Maldivian flights.
