Etihad Airways has announced that it will ramp up services between Abu Dhabi and Manila, the capital of the Philippines.
Starting October 30, a second daily flight will be introduced on the route. Both daily frequencies will be operated using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
With the addition of the new service, there will be a total of 14 flights per week between Abu Dhabi and Manila.
At present, EY424 departs from Abu Dhabi at 2.55am and lands in Manila at 3.55pm. EY423 meanwhile departs Manila at 6.10pm and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 11.10pm.
Starting October 30, the second daily flight – EY 428 – will depart from Abu Dhabi at 10.10am and land in Manila at 10.35pm. EY 421 will then leave the Philippines at 12.25am and arrive in the UAE capital at 6am.
The combined double-daily flights will see Etihad offer 450,000 seats annually between Abu Dhabi and Manila, representing a year-on-year capacity increase of 75 per cent.
The airline noted that additional frequency will also increase the total annual cargo capacity to almost 30,000 tonnes.
In Southeast Asia, Etihad will offer up to 56 weekly flights this winter between Abu Dhabi and Manila (14 weekly flights), Bangkok (14), Phuket (7), Singapore (7), Kuala Lumpur (7) and Jakarta (7.)
“Our double-daily service will provide the large Filipino population in the UAE with convenient access to visit family and loved ones back home and support the recovery in tourism as more holidaymakers flock to discover the stunning islands of the Philippines,” said Martin Drew, senior vice president Global Sales and Cargo at Eithad.
