Etihad has secured up to 14 new weekly frequencies from its Abu Dhabi base to Australia, available from March 2011.
The carrier has been granted seven new flights which can be operated to any gateway in Australia (including its existing destinations of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne), plus a further seven flights on the condition the operation also flies via or onto a regional airport.
Etihad currently serves Sydney 11 times per week, Melbourne seven times per week and Brisbane three times per week. The long-haul market to Australia is becoming increasingly crowded, with legacy carriers like Qantas and BA competing with Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar (the last of which is due to launch flights to Sydney later this year).
For more information visit etihadairways.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
