Darwin Airline (Lugano) will be renamed to Etihad Regional after the Emirati carrier acquired a minority stake in the Swiss carrier. Subject to regulatory approvals, Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) will invest in Darwin Airline through the acquisition of 33.3 per cent of an enlarged share capital. Darwin Airline will continue to focus on secondary markets and will become the seventh member of the Etihad Airways equity airline alliance, the fourth partner in Europe, and the first to operate using a new sub-brand called "Etihad Regional". The investment will provide Etihad with access to regional markets in Europe, and enable a major expansion of Darwin Airline’s operations, said a statement. The new ‘Etihad Regional’ logo will be displayed prominently on each side of the fuselage of the Darwin Airline aircraft, while the rear of the plane will carry the words “Operated by Darwin Airline”, and the Darwin Airline’s present logo, while displaying the Swiss flag. All flights will continue to operate under the Darwin Airline designator code. By mid-2014, Darwin Airline will add 21 new routes and 18 new destinations feeding flights operated by Air Berlin (1991) (Berlin Tegel), Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade Nikola Tesla) and Etihad. It will operate from Berlin Tegel to Poznan Lawica and Wroclaw, Düsseldorf to Berlin Tegel, Cambridge and London City, from Geneva to Belgrade Nikola Tesla, Bordeaux Mérignac, Marseilles, Nantes, Toulouse Blagnac Verona and Zurich, from Rome Fiumicino to Tirana and Zagreb Franjo Tuđman as well as from Zurich to Florence Peretola, Graz, Leipzig/Halle, Linz Blue Danube, Lyon St. Exupéry, Turin Caselle and Verona.
Etihad buys 33% stake in Darwin; to be rebranded as Etihad Regional
Darwin Airline Saab 2000 (Etihad Regional livery),
© Martial Saugy (ch-aviation.com)