Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), today announced a three-year partnership deal which will see the carrier become the first ever official airline partner of the England Cricket Teams.

The sponsorship agreement will see all England national teams across menbs, womenbs, age-group and disability cricket, fly with Etihad Airways and experience its award-winning products and services.

As part of the partnership, the airline will benefit from a comprehensive range of commercial rights which will include access to England players for promotional appearances, advertising at six international cricket grounds in England and Wales, tickets and hospitality packages.

Encompassing Englandbs domestic international and overseas cricket tours from 2014-2016, the agreement will also include winter training camps in Abu Dhabi and a joint community-based cricket initiative.

Among the highlights of the sponsorship tenure will be the prestigious home series against India (2014), the Ashes series against Australia (2015), the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (2015), the ICC World Twenty20 and ICC Womenbs World T20 in India (2016), and the tour of South Africa (2016).

Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways, said: bThe welcome addition of the England Cricket Team to our growing portfolio of global sporting associations demonstrates our commitment to the UK market and also to major international sporting events.b 

bCricket enables Etihad Airways to create strong synergies between the key cricket playing nations and our major flight networks across the Indian Subcontinent, Australia and the UK. Cricket forms an important part of our international marketing strategy, providing us with an ideal platform to further build our brand in the UK, and create a deeper connection with our guests through supporting one of Englandbs favorite sports.b

Headquartered at Lordbs Cricket Ground in London, the ECB is the governing body for all cricket in England and Wales.

Welcoming the deal, David Collier, Chief Executive of ECB, said: bWe are delighted to welcome a prestigious global brand such as Etihad Airways into our ever-expanding family of commercial partners. This is a major business partnership for ECB which will bring significant benefits to all our England teams and we will be working closely with Etihad Airways to deliver maximum exposure for their brand.

Etihad Airways and ECB will work together on a number of initiatives including hosting competitions and promotions for flights and holidays with England fans keen to watch the teams on overseas tours. Fans will also have the opportunity to access a range of exclusive frequent flyer benefits with the airlinebs loyalty programme - Etihad Guest.

In addition to the England Cricket Team, Etihad Airwaysb sports sponsorship portfolio includes Manchester City Football Club, the Indian Premier Leaguebs (IPL) franchise cricket team  the Mumbai Indians, the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, GAA Hurling All Ireland Senior Championship, Major League Soccer in the US, and the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Etihad Airways currently operates three flights a day from London Heathrow, as well as a twice daily service from Manchester to Abu Dhabi, where passengers can connect to its network of destinations in Africa, the Middle East and Asia

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