TAME Ecuador (Quito International) has signed a cargo and passenger partnership agreement with Emirates (EK, Dubai International) in which Emirates will be able to transfer passengers and cargo to TAME from New York JFK and São Paulo Guarulhos in Brazil.
"It's more like a code-share agreement concerning passenger and cargo operations,” Francisco Rivadeneira, Ecuador’s Minister of International Trade, said.
Rivadeneira said the New York and Sao Paulo connections could be followed by Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini, Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles International. However, he did not say when the agreement would come into effect but noted that the long-term objective is to introduce direct flights between the countries.
“For that we still need to work on demand,” he said.
Both Emirates and local rival Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) have been scouting for new codesharing and partnership opportunities in Latin America.
