UAE airline, Etihad Airways, along with Abu Dhabi International Airport, are preparing to host 2.7 million network passengers over the summer months this year.
Over 1.4 million passengers are expected to depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport, including 330,000 local joiners, with more than 1,100 weekly network-wide departures.
Given the surge in travel over the summer, Etihad has urged passengers to check-in online and use the Verified to Fly service to submit any Covid-related travel documents for prior approval.
“As travel rebounds from the impact of the global pandemic, Etihad has witnessed a vast increase in bookings over recent weeks. With summer holidays upon us and to manage the increase in passenger numbers, Etihad has bolstered operations both locally and across our global network,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, chief operating officer, Etihad Aviation Group.
Starting June 29, Etihad has resumed flights from its hub in Abu Dhabi to Beijing. Earlier this month, it also launched seasonal services connecting Abu Dhabi to Nice in the French Côte d’Azur, the city of Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete, Malaga in Spain, Santorini in Greece and Zanzibar in Tanzania.
Other UAE carriers have also said that they expect a considerable surge in passenger traffic over the summer. Dubai-based Emirates said that with over 550,000 customers expected to fly out from the UAE between June and July on over 2,400 weekly network-wide departures, it is gearing up for one of its busiest periods of the year.
Flydubai meanwhile expects to carry three million passengers this summer, making it the busiest summer in the airline’s history. Over summer, it expects an average of 8,500 scheduled departures per month across flydubai’s network of 102 destinations, which exceeds pre-pandemic levels.
