Etihad Airways will transfer all its flights between Abu Dhabi and Beijing, and its flights between Beijing and Nagoya (Japan) to Beijing’s new Daxing International Airport starting June 1 this year.
Robin Kamark, Etihad Aviation Group chief commercial officer, said Abu Dhabi Airports Company inked a sister-airport partnership with Beijing Daxing International Airport in October last year.
He added that the airline has experienced “huge growth in China’s tourism and aviation markets, and enjoyed strong demand from business and leisure travellers” since launching flights between Beijing and Abu Dhabi 12 years ago.
Kamark also said the move reinforces the airline’s commitment to the China market in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Whilst the spread of Covid-19 has posed a major challenge for all airlines serving China, with a massive drop in demand on key routes, we remain optimistic that the situation will improve by the summer and we continue serving Beijing from Abu Dhabi presently, demonstrating our unwavering support and commitment to our Chinese partners and the China market as a whole,” Kamark added.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled worldwide due to the global spread of the coronavirus as airlines move to cut costs as demand for global air travel has declined.
Etihad’s Beijing-Nagoya service is currently suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, but the airline is still flying between Abu Dhabi and Beijing.
The airline will continue to deploy a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on its Abu Dhabi-Beijing service after the relocation to Daxing Airport.
Below is the Abu Dhabi – Beijing flight schedule, which will be effective starting from June 1, 2020:
| Flight | Origin | Departs | Destination | Arrives | Frequency | Aircraft |
| EY888 | Abu Dhabi | 2130 | Beijing | 0850 (+1) | Daily | Boeing 787 |
| EY889 | Beijing | 2010 | Abu Dhabi | 0055 (+1) | Daily | Boeing 787 |
Below is the Beijing – Nagoya flight schedule, which will be effective starting from July 1, 2020:
| Flight | Origin | Departs | Destination | Arrives | Frequency | Aircraft |
| EY888 | Beijing | 1030 | Nagoya | 1425 | Daily | Boeing 787 |
| EY889 | Nagoya | 1600 | Beijing | 1830 | Daily | Boeing 787 |
Beijing Daxing International Airport is the Chinese capital’s second airport, which officially began operations in September last year.
