From early 2020, Emirates and SpiceJet flyers will be able to travel on each other’s flights operating between Dubai and Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Kochi and Delhi.

This means a passenger holding an Emirates ticket for travel between Dubai and Kochi will be able to opt for a SpiceJet flight.

This is the result of a codeshare and interline agreement which the two airlines had signed in April. In the first phase of the interline agreement, Emirates passengers could start booking flights from November 25, for travel starting December 25 this year, SpiceJet said in a statement.

“Our partnership will help us leverage SpiceJet’s extensive route network,” said Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer. Those visiting friends and family can fly closer to their hometowns while tourists can look at visiting other places in India, he said, adding: “This will have a significant and positive impact on businesses in both countries and globally.”

Addressing a press conference here on November 20, SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh had said the agreement would go live from the midnight of that day. “It has taken longer than we anticipated. The technology integration took longer than we had anticipated. Systems on both sides were different,” he said.