Etihad Airways Partners with New Mission: Impossible Film

Etihad Airways recently partnered with Paramount Pictures to celebrate its latest film's release. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is the latest installment of the popular Mission: Impossible movie series and will be released globally on July 12th.

The Partnership

As part of Etihad's new partnership, the airline will roll out a limited "Movie Snacks" menu for its Business and First Class guests that will run from June through August.

Etihad offers all six Mission: Impossible films available to watch on its E-BOX entertainment system. Later in the year, however, the carrier plans to introduce a dedicated folder on E-BOX dedicated to Mission: Impossible content. In addition to featuring all seven films, the dedicated folder will also feature exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Etihad and Paramount Pictures will embark on a co-branded marketing campaign to celebrate the partnership. In an official announcement regarding the partnership, the airline announced that flight specials could be announced as part of this venture.

Etihad's Vice President of Marketing and Sponsorships, Amina Taher, said regarding the partnership, "The Mission Impossible blockbusters are a phenomenal series and we're incredibly proud to partner with Paramount Pictures to showcase Etihad and Abu Dhabi to the world. We are thrilled to be able to give millions of guests the opportunity to enjoy the Mission Impossible films during their Etihad flight and to showcase the film across our global network."

Etihad is not the first airline to partner with such a huge movie franchise. Various airlines in previous history have done similar brand deals.

One recent example is Turkish Airlines, which in 2016 partnered with the long-awaited Batman v. Superman film. The airline even went so far as to paint one of its Boeing 777-300ERs, TC-JJN, in a special promotional livery that has since been removed.

Turkish Airlines went on to produce various advertisements themed around the film, some of which even aired during the 2016 Super Bowl! 

Those who watched Batman v. Superman might even recall that a Turkish Airlines aircraft makes a cameo in the film. Certain scenes towards the end of the movie were shot in the Business Class cabin of what seemed to be either a 777 or A330.

The Wonder of Abu Dhabi

The Mission: Impossible franchise is no stranger to Abu Dhabi or the United Arab Emirates overall. In fact, this will be the third time the country has been chosen as a filming location. 2011 marked the first time when Ghost Protocol, the fourth installment, was filmed there.

Abu Dhabi, as a city, is a perfect setting to film a movie. The city provides quite the contrast in aesthetics, with a modern skyline that is simultaneously in close proximity to the UAE's vast deserts.

Owing to the franchise's previous history in Abu Dhabi, the new Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One film was partly shot in the city.

While watching the film, viewers can look out for scenes shot in Abu Dhabi's Liwa Desert and even Abu Dhabi Airport's new Midfield Terminal. That terminal completed construction almost two years ago but has yet to be inaugurated for regular passenger service.

Viewers of the new film can even expect to see Etihad Airways crew and aircraft make small cameos as well, similar to what Turkish Airlines did with Batman v. Superman.

Whatever the case may be, avgeeks who end up watching Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One should keep their eyes peeled for some aviation-friendly scenes - possibly including an Etihad 787!