Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled an ambitious network overhaul, positioning the airline for sustainable expansion while improving Abu Dhabi’s links to global markets. The new network is designed to support Abu Dhabi visitor growth and provide travellers with more options by:
- Introducing new destinations: Ramping up capacity to sought-after international destinations, providing opportunities for travellers to explore and experience diverse cultures, while bringing more visitors directly to Abu Dhabi.
- Provide more options: Provide passengers with enhanced travel flexibility with multiple and more convenient departure times, ensuring seamless and stress-free journeys.
- Increase frequencies to key international markets: To support Abu Dhabi’s economic and tourism growth, Etihad is increasing flight frequencies to essential international destinations, fostering improved accessibility and strengthening the emirate’s position as a hub for global travellers.
The updated schedules have been timed for departures from Abu Dhabi at 2 pm, ensuring travelers and visitors can thoroughly experience Abu Dhabi’s hotels and attractions until their checkout time. This approach enhances the overall travel experience while maximising the enjoyment of Abu Dhabi’s offerings.
| Destination | Change | Total Frequency | Start Date |
| Dusseldorf | New route | 3 per week | 28 September 2023 |
| Copenhagen | New route | 4 per week | 29 September 2023 |
| Osaka | New route | 5 per week | 1 October 2023 |
| Lisbon | Extended year-round | 3 per week | 29 October 2023 |
| St Petersburg | New route | 3 per week | 29 October 2023 |
| Kozhikode | New route | 7 per week | 1 January 2024 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | New route | 7 per week | 1 January 2024 |
| Boston | New route | 4 per week | 31 March 2024 |
| Chennai | +7 per week | 21 per week | 15 September 2023 |
| Frankfurt | +4 per week | 11 per week | 29 October 2023 |
| Rome | +4 per week | 11 per week | 4 November 2023 |
| Amsterdam | Retimed | 7 per week | 21 November 2023 |
| Kochi | +8 per week | 21 per week | 21 November 2023 |
| Madrid | +3 per week | 10 per week | 21 November 2023 |
| Milan | +3 per week | 10 per week | 21 November 2023 |
| Munich | +3 per week | 10 per week | 21 November 2023 |
| Phuket | +7 per week | 14 per week | 21 November 2023 |
| Moscow | Retimed | 7 per week | 1 December 2023 |
| Cairo | +5 per week | 21 per week | 1 January 2024 |
| Colombo | 7 direct per week | 7 per week | 1 January 2024 |
| Islamabad | +2 per week | 14 per week | 1 January 2024 |
| Maldives (Male) | +7 per week | 14 per week | 1 January 2024 |
“As we embark on Etihad’s next chapter targeting growth, our ambitious network and improved connectivity allows us to better serve Abu Dhabi and our valued guests, forming the basis of our future expansion while providing flexibility and freedom to adapt to new opportunities and markets,” said Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways. “By offering more travel options and seamless connections, we aim to attract an increasing number of visitors to Abu Dhabi, propelling economic growth for the city while enriching the travel experience for our passengers.”
Network Updates
Etihad has already announced the launch of nine new destinations this year, including Malaga, Mykonos, Lisbon, Kolkata, St Petersburg, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Osaka, and Boston. In addition, the airline this week published two new routes to the Indian Subcontinent, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, to be launched in January 2024. These new destinations showcase Etihad’s dedication to expanding connectivity and providing travellers with more options globally.
To complement these developments, Etihad has made several recent network changes and frequency adds to enhance travel options and connectivity. Highlights include:
- Improved Departure Times: Enhanced passenger convenience with adjusted departure times for European and Asian destinations.
- Expanded Frequencies: Increased frequencies to Chennai (MAA), Islamabad (ISB), Kochi (COK), Madrid (MAD), Milan (MXP), Munich (MUC), Rome (FCO), and Phuket (HKT) offer travelers more choices while improving travel options and connectivity.
- Cairo (CAI): An additional 5 flights per week to make triple daily operations to Cairo, effective from 1 Jan, strengthening the link between Abu Dhabi and the Egyptian capital.
- Colombo (CMB): 7 direct flights per week with 3 flights effective from 1 Dec and 4 flights effective from 1 Jan, further enhancing travel options to this destination.
- Maldives (MLE): An additional 7 flights per week, with 3 flights effective from 1 Dec and 4 flights effective from 1 Jan
The updated network leverages Etihad’s geographic advantage as a facilitator for seamless cultural exchange and developing economic opportunities along its network routes across Asia and Europe.
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