China Southern Airlines has formed a new codeshare partnership with Etihad Airways.

Effective immediately, the new agreement will see China Southern place its ‘CZ’ code on Etihad’s daily services between Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Abu Dhabi. This will enable the Chinese airline’s passengers to connect to more than 100 destinations across the world with Etihad, via the UAE capital.

For Etihad, the deal will further expand its presence in the important Chinese market.

“We are excited about the new partnership with Etihad Airways, which will further strengthen the global network of both airlines and provide increased benefits to all our passengers,” said Zhang Lin, China Southern’s senior management on international cooperation.

“Through this partnership, China Southern Airlines will be able to extend our services globally, via Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.”

Both China Southern and Etihad are planning to implement a reciprocal frequent flyer partnership in the near future to enable the passengers to earn and redeem miles on each other’s flights network-wide.