ETIHAD AVIATION GROUP, ALIBABA GROUP AND ANT FINANCIAL SIGN MOU TO IMPROVE GUEST EXPERIENCE AND ENHANCE LOGISTICS EFFICIENCY

Signing Ceremony between Etihad Aviation Group, Alibaba Group and Ant Financial to expand partnership. From left to right: Ricky Xue, Director of Global Export, Alibaba Cargo; Jerry Hu, Vice President Alibaba Group, Vice President Alitrip; Lindsay White, Vice President, Asia Pacific, Etihad Airways;  Jenny Jiang, Director of International Business, Ant Financial.

Hangzhou, China – Etihad Aviation Group (EAG), Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE: BABA) and Ant Financial Services Group (ANT Group) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand their partnership and deliver superior products and services to Chinese customers.

The groups plan to expand cooperation through greater collaboration on respective loyalty programmes. In addition, new products and services will be introduced to deliver an improved guest experience and improved logistics.

Under the agreement, Alibaba and Etihad Guest, the award-winning loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, will explore enhanced programme benefits and opportunities for cross-acquisition of loyalty points. This will include points conversion to Etihad Guest Miles, reciprocal benefits across premium tiers, and the ability to redeem Etihad Guest Miles for Alibaba products.

In addition, Alibaba Group and Etihad Airways will enter into a brand partnership agreement that will integrate the Alibaba Group of Brands with Etihad Airways’ premium leisure travel experience across its global route network.

Alibaba and Etihad Cargo will also cooperate to enhance cross-border air cargo delivery solutions to improve delivery efficiency and performance.

Alipay, an online and mobile payment platform operated by Ant Financial with 520 million monthly active mobile users, will work with Etihad Airways to explore payment service options inflight and on the ground to create a more convenient travel experience for Chinese guests.

The addition of Alibaba and Alibaba’s related companies’ products and services is part of Etihad’s commitment to expanding the range of options available to Chinese customers.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways Executive Vice President – Commercial, said: “Alibaba's renowned digitalisation and product innovations, designed around Chinese consumer behaviour, have ensured Alibaba's leading position in the industry.

“There is an impressive and growing number of Chinese outbound travellers exploring new destinations and unique experiences. The volume of goods transportation generated on ecommerce platforms has been amazing.

“We believe cooperation with Alibaba Group will better consolidate our product and service advantages for a convenient and refined travel experience, as well as enhance our brand awareness and jointly optimise our products and services.”

Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group, said: “We are delighted to see the partnership between Alibaba and Etihad rapidly taking shape with close cooperation on formulating innovative methods that will further enhance our awareness and influence in the global marketplace.

“Alibaba’s complete commercial ecosystem, significant big data resources and cutting-edge technology combined with Etihad Airways’ remarkable services and products and extensive global network will markedly improve Chinese passengers’ comprehensive travel experience.”

As the prelude to an enhanced partnership, Etihad Airways and Alibaba’s Tmall and Alitrip are promoting this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival through a special aircraft livery design.

Five Etihad Airways aircraft with special 11.11 livery began flying from Abu Dhabi to more than 40 cities worldwide - including the airline’s four Chinese destinations of Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hong Kong - on October 20, showcasing China’s annual shopping festival to a global audience of millions.

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About Etihad Aviation Group

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) is a diversified global aviation and travel group comprising five business divisions – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways Engineering, Etihad Airport Services, Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners. The group has minority investments in six airlines: airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, and Virgin Australia.

                  

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to, or has announced plans to serve, more than 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. In 2013, it placed firm orders for 204 aircraft, which included 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s. For more information, please visit: etihad.com

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group is a Chinese e-commerce company founded by Jack MA in 1999, in the belief that the Internet would level the playing field by enabling small enterprises to leverage innovation and technology to grow and compete more effectively in the domestic and global economies.

Alibaba Group provides the fundamental technology infrastructure and marketing reach to help merchants, brands and other businesses to leverage the power of the Internet to engage with their users and customers. Its businesses are comprised of core commerce, cloud computing, digital media and entertainment, innovation initiatives and others.

As of August 2017, Alibaba has over 529 million monthly active mobile users across its platforms.

About Ant Financial

Ant Financial Services Group is focused on serving small and micro enterprises, as well as consumers. With the vision “bring the world equal opportunities,” Ant Financial is dedicated to building an open ecosystem of Internet thinking and technologies while working with other financial institutions to support the future financial needs of society. Businesses operated by Ant Financial Services Group include Alipay, Ant Fortune, Zhima Credit and MYbank.