According to an announcement, the partnership marks a new era for Qantas and Emirates, and for global aviation, as the two carriers collaborate to deliver the best network, lounges, frequent flyer benefits and travel experiences.

“The strength of this partnership stems from the fact the Emirates and Qantas brands are an excellent match. Emirates customers using a Qantas lounge or taking a Qantas flight will experience a level of service that is on par with what they expect from Emirates,” said Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.

“Our two airlines offer the largest joint fleet of Airbus A380s and passengers will be welcomed through Concourse A, the world’s first, purpose built A380 concourse, at Dubai International Airport, which is the geographical centrepiece of the partnership,” Clark added.

“A major benefit is the range of products we are offering frequent flyers. Customers of either airline can leverage many of their privileges when they fly on the joint network, including earning points, redeeming flights and accessing lounges,” Clark concluded.

Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Alan Joyce, said the partnership would make long haul travel more seamless – and faster – for millions of Australians. “Our customers from Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney have one-stop access to 65 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, the UK and Europe via the joint Qantas and Emirates network. “By travelling through Dubai, Qantas customers can connect to the extensive Emirates network into Europe and the UK and fly directly to their destination,” Joyce said. “The new network will cut average journey times by more than two hours from Melbourne and Sydney to the top 10 destinations in Europe,” he added.

Combined the two airlines will offer 98 flights a week between Australia and Dubai.

At a news conference at UN Headquarters in New York, attended by Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Dr. Helen Agerup, head of the H&B Agerup Foundation, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lauded the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health for advancing concrete partnerships on the ground.

“To sustain and build upon these results, we need partnerships. We need mayors and presidents, grassroots activists and health care workers,” Ban said, noting that the partnership between the three leaders alone has helped cut maternal deaths by roughly one third in two years in the Kigoma, Morogoro and Pwani regions of Tanzania.

The Global Strategy – developed under Ban’s auspices with support from The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health – was launched at the time of the UN Leaders’ Summit for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2010, with some $40 billion pledged towards women’s and children’s health.

It seeks to attain the fourth and fifth of the eight poverty-fighting MDGs that focus on reducing child mortality and improving maternal health.

In his remarks, Ban noted that President Kikwete was one of the first world leaders to back the Global Strategy and is also one of its main drivers.

He also noted that Mayor Bloomberg, well-known for his commitment to improving the health of New Yorkers, is working for the health of women in Tanzania through Bloomberg Philanthropies, which funds efforts to help pregnant women and their babies in rural and isolated areas. Dr. Agerup, he added, is leading the H&B Agerup Foundation to invest in health of women and children over the next few years.