Dubai, Jan 8 (IANS): United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier Emirates Airline on Monday signed a a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Etihad Airways for cooperation in aviation security.

The MoU was signed by Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, and Tony Douglas, Group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group, reports Xinhua news agency.

Emirates said that "the historic agreement, the first between the UAE's two world-leading aviation groups, signals the importance of closer collaboration in aviation security to effectively exploit joint synergies to enhance efficiency and security for the benefit of both groups' customers".

One of the key areas of cooperation outlined in the MoU involves the sharing of information and intelligence between Emirates, which in November added the 100th Airbus A380 Superjumbo to its fleet, and Etihad, whose name means unity in Arabic, on critical aspects of aviation security.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline said: "Security is one of the foremost priorities of the global aviation industry."

Through this agreement, Emirates Group Security will collaborate with Etihad Aviation Group to share know-how and extend aviation security services in order to better handle shared challenges, he added.

In October 2017, Clark said the Dubai government-controlled airline was open to cooperate with local rival Etihad Airways, but stressed that a full merger between the two was "up to the owners", hence the ruling families of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.