Our member, TAROM, Romania’s national air transport company, has signed a codeshare commercial agreement with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, during the IATA Annual General Meeting, held in Rio de Janeiro. The partnership expands Romania's international connectivity through Etihad Airways' hub in Abu Dhabi. TAROM passengers will gain access to integrated connections toward intercontinental destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.Tickets will go on sale starting in July, for travels scheduled from December 17, 2026. The connections will be operated with four weekly frequencies.
What the Codeshare Agreement Entails
A codeshare agreement allows the two airlines to market flights operated by the partner under their own IATA code, offering passengers a unified travel product: a single ticket, check-in through to the final destination, and automatic baggage transfer. Concretely, through this partnership:
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Etihad passengers will be able to book, on a single ticket, flights operated by TAROM from Bucharest to six cities in Romania:Baia Mare, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Oradea, Suceava, and Timișoara, as well as to patru capitale din Europa de EstEtihad passengers will be able to book, on a single ticket, flights operated by TAROM from Bucharest to six cities in Romania: Baia Mare, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Oradea, Suceava, and Timișoara, as well as to four capitals in Eastern Europe: Belgrade, Budapest, Chișinău, and Sofia.
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TAROM passengers will be able to travel from Bucharest to Abu Dhabi with Etihad and from there onward, on a single ticket, to destinations within Etihad's global network.
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Connections will be coordinated through the Abu Dhabi International Airport hub, with four weekly frequencies on the Bucharest–Abu Dhabi route.
Etihad Airways – A World-Class Partner
Etihad Airways is the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Abu Dhabi. With over 1,000 weekly flights to 96 destinations across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Americas, Etihad represents one of the most important intercontinental hubs in the world. Through this agreement, Etihad's codeshare network reaches 47 airline partners and over 130 interline relationships, providing access to more than 1,000 destinations globally. The agreement supports the launch of the new direct route Abu Dhabi – Bucharest, which Etihad Airways is set to inaugurate on December 17, 2026, operated with Airbus A321Tickets will be available for sale starting July 2026, both on TAROM and Etihad platforms.
Concrete Benefits for Romanian Passengers
With the launch of the route, passengers traveling from Romania will benefit from:
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A single ticket for the entire itinerary, including TAROM and Etihad segments
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Check-in at the departure airport through to the final destination, without intermediate formalities
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Automatic baggage transfer between the two airlines
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Coordinated connections through Abu Dhabi, with optimized transit times
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Access to top destinations in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.
The Association's Position
The "Carpathia" Romanian Airline Companies Association congratulates TAROM on this strategic partnership and welcomes the company's efforts to expand Romania's international connectivity. Codeshare agreements with operators of Etihad Airways' caliber demonstrate the maturity and competitiveness of Romanian aviation on the global stage, contributing directly to increasing Romania's attractiveness as a business and tourism destination.
We are glad to see Romanian aviation opening new intercontinental corridors. ✈️🇷🇴
Sources: Etihad Airways Press Release, TAROM