As the Summer season continues in full swing, Etihad Airways is planning a major expansion for the winter season.
The airline is planning to add further destinations to its network, to provide more options and flexibility, with some services retimed whilst others will gain extra frequencies.
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, added two new routes to the Indian Subcontinent, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, to be launched in January 2024.
In terms of frequency expansion, there will be increased frequencies to Chennai, Islamabad, Kochi, Madrid Milan, Munich, Rome and Phuket. There is also additional expansion to
- Cairo – five additional flights a week, to make triple daily operations to Cairo, effective from 1st January 2024
- Colombo – 7 direct flights per week with 3 flights effective from 1 December and 4 flights effective from 1 January 2024
- Maldives – An additional 7 flights per week, with 3 flights effective from 1 December and 4 flights effective from 1 January 2024
The updated schedules have been timed for departures from Abu Dhabi at 2 pm, ensuring travellers 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.
The big table.
We love a big pre-populated table with all the changes.
| Destinations | 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 |
In Quotes
Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said:
“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,”
“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.”
A busy winter ahead
Eithad has chosen it seems to go from its changed boutique airline to something a lot more aggressive with its expansion. with it boosting its network, but also building on frequencies – something important when reestablishing a network to provide passenger choice n terms of timings.
We’ll have to monitor how aggressive Etihad is going with its expansion and if it is sustainable in the longer term.
For those travelling this winter, there will be lots of new options – in terms of destinations and timings.
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