UAE national carrier Etihad Airways will ramp up services to Shanghai this year.

Starting February 2023, the airline will begin an additional weekly flight to Shanghai from Abu Dhabi. It will therefore have two weekly flights to Pudong International airport (PVG) using its Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.

Etihad will have a total of five five weekly nonstop flights between Abu Dhabi and China, which includes the twice-weekly service it currently operates to Guangzhou and a weekly flight to Beijing.

It began flights to Guangzhou in October 2022, becoming the first international airline to operate long-haul passenger flights to the top three Chinese gateways of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou since the start of the pandemic. Etihad was also the first to reinstate a regular international passenger service to Beijing when the capital of China reopened for international direct travel in June 2022.

“China is a market of primary importance to Etihad, and as one of the country’s largest financial and economic centres, Shanghai plays a crucial role in our network. Etihad Airways is delighted to add a second weekly passenger service to Shanghai following the further relaxation of Covid-related travel measures,” said Martin Drew, senior vice president of global sales and cargo at Etihad Aviation Group.

From January 8, 2023, visitors will no longer be required to quarantine, although they will still have to provide proof of a negative PCR test 48 hours before departure for the country, and the wearing of masks on flights bound for China will remain compulsory.

Authorities in China will reportedly downgrade the management of Covid-19 from category A to category B, and Chinese citizens will be allowed to apply for visas to travel overseas starting this month.

etihad.com