UAE national carrier, Etihad Airways, has announced new additions to its network as well as enhanced frequencies to a number of destinations.
This week, the airline said that it will begin operating two new routes to the Indian Subcontinent, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, in January 2024.
These two routes will complement the launch of nine new destinations announced earlier this year, including Malaga, Mykonos, Lisbon, Kolkata, St Petersburg, Dusseldorf, Copenhagen, Osaka, and Boston. Etihad will operate a four-times-weekly service to Boston from March 31, 2024, making it its fourth destination in the US, joining Chicago, New York and Washington.
Apart from the new routes, Etihad has also confirmed enhanced frequencies to certain points on its network including Chennai (MAA), Islamabad (ISB), Kochi (COK), Madrid (MAD), Milan (MXP), Munich (MUC), Rome (FCO), and Phuket (HKT). Also, it will operate an additional five flights per week to make triple daily operations to Cairo, effective from Jan 1. It will also fly seven direct flights per week with three flights effective from Dec 1 and four flights effective from Jan 1. Etihad said that it will fly an additional seven flights per week, with three flights effective from Dec 1 and four flights effective from Jan 1.
The airline said that the updated schedules have been timed for departures from Abu Dhabi at 2pm thereby “ensuring travellers and visitors can thoroughly experience Abu Dhabi’s hotels and attractions until their checkout time.”
Below is a summary of the major changes announced by the airline:
| Destination | Change | Total Frequency | Start Date |
| Dusseldorf | New route | 3 per week | September 28, 2023 |
| Copenhagen | New route | 4 per week | September 29, 2023 |
| Osaka | New route | 5 per week | October 1, 2023 |
| Lisbon | Extended year-round | 3 per week | October 29, 2023 |
| St Petersburg | New route | 3 per week | October 29, 2023 |
| Kozhikode | New route | 7 per week | January 1, 2024 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | New route | 7 per week | January 1, 2024 |
| Boston | New route | 4 per week | March 31, 2024 |
| Chennai | +7 per week | 21 per week | September 15, 2023 |
| Frankfurt | +4 per week | 11 per week | October 29, 2023 |
| Rome | +4 per week | 11 per week | November 4, 2023 |
| Amsterdam | Retimed | 7 per week | November 21, 2023 |
| Kochi | +8 per week | 21 per week | November 21, 2023 |
| Madrid | +3 per week | 10 per week | November 21, 2023 |
| Milan | +3 per week | 10 per week | November 21, 2023 |
| Munich | +3 per week | 10 per week | November 21, 2023 |
| Phuket | +7 per week | 14 per week | November 21, 2023 |
| Moscow | Retimed | 7 per week | December 1, 2023 |
| Cairo | +5 per week | 21 per week | January 1, 2024 |
| Colombo | 7 direct per week | 7 per week | January 1, 2024 |
| Islamabad | +2 per week | 14 per week | January 1, 2024 |
| Maldives (Male) | +7 per week | 14 per week | January 1, 2024 |
In recently released figures, Abu Dhabi International airport reported a 67 per cent increase in the number of passengers who passed through the airport between January 1 and June 30, 2023. It said that 10,258,653 passengers did so in the first six months of this year, compared to 6,158,376 passengers served during the corresponding period last year.
The destinations with the highest passenger traffic served by Abu Dhabi International airport during the first half of 2023 included Mumbai (461,081), London (374,017), Delhi (331,722), Kochi (316,460) and Doha (261,117).
(Image: Supplied by Etihad Airways)
