MIDDLE EAST : Etihad sponsors Ferrari F1

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Etihad Airways has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Ferrari F1 team, the current Formula One world championship holders. The airline’s chief executive officer James Hogan signed the deal with the Ferrari F1 Grand Prix team, ahead of the opening Formula One race of the season in Melbourne on 16 March.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline’s name will feature prominently on the rear wing and side of the F1 cars throughout the 18-race 2008 Formula One season.

"Sports sponsorship is a major part of Etihad’s marketing strategy and the growing association we are building with Formula One is a key driver to enable us to reach a global audience," Hogan said.

"With a TV audience of 2.5 billion people in nearly 200 countries, the association with Ferrari will give Etihad enormous worldwide exposure and help bring Abu Dhabi to the world."

Etihad Airways’ logo will have prominent branding on the Ferrari F1 cars and the drivers’ helmets, starting with March’s Australian Grand Prix. Etihad will also feature on the clothing of Ferrari’s two drivers, F1 World Champion Kimi Raikkonen and his driving partner Felipe Massa, from the Malaysian Grand Prix at the end of March.

The Ferrari F1 team sponsorship deal follows a separate three-year deal signed by Etihad Airways in December 2007 to become the title sponsor of the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, starting with the inaugural event in 2009.

The deal will see the F1 race in the UAE’s capital city named the Formula One Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix until 2011.

Etihad’s involvement with the Ferrari F1 team is the latest high-profile sports sponsorship for the airline and complements existing partnerships with Chelsea Football Club, Harlequins Rugby Football Club and the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

Meanwhile, the carrier has launched new services to Beijing from 30 March and Calicut in India in June and will increase the frequency of its flights to a number of key destinations within the Gulf region, Middle East, Europe, Indian sub-continent, Africa and the Asia Pacific region.