Etihad Airways will boost the frequency of its Abu Dhabi to Sydney route from February 6, 2017, with the addition of three weekly flights – effectively turning it into a double-daily service.
Flights EY450/EY451, which depart Abu Dhabi in the morning and Sydney in the afternoon respectively, will increase from four to seven flights per week.
Revised Sydney–Abu Dhabi schedule
| Flight no | Origin | Departs | Destination | Arrives | Frequency | Aircraft |
| EY454 | Abu Dhabi | 2215 | Sydney | 1915+1 | Daily | A380 |
| EY455 | Sydney | 2150 | Abu Dhabi | 0540+1 | Daily | A380 |
| EY450 | Abu Dhabi | 0925 | Sydney | 0615+1 | Daily | B777 |
| EY451 | Sydney | 1620 | Abu Dhabi | 2355 | Daily | B777 |
The additional Sydney flights will be operated by a three-class B777-300ER, which is configured with eight seats in first class, 40 in business and 280 in economy.
According to the Gulf carrier, the move comes following partner Virgin Australia’s decision to shift its Australia to Abu Dhabi operations from Sydney to Perth from June 9, 2017.
As part of the partnership, Etihad Airways will add its EY code on Virgin Australia’s new three-times-weekly Perth to Abu Dhabi flights. By boosting the number of flights on its Sydney to Abu Dhabi route, the Gulf carrier stands to benefit from offering its customers two departure points within Australia into Abu Dhabi.
Etihad Airways currently places its marketing code on Virgin Australia’s Sydney to Abu Dhabi route. Once Virgin Australia has axed the route, Etihad will operate its three new weekly Sydney services using the same timings as the Australian carrier in order to maintain schedule continuity.
“Australia is a critical part of our network, and we will continue to add capacity in order to meet the growing two-way demand for business and leisure travel,” said the airline’s chief executive officer Peter Baumgartner.
For more information, visit etihad.com
