Etihad Airways will introduce a second daily service onto its Abu Dhabi to New York JFK route on March 1.
The Gulf carrier will initially operate the extra flights using two three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, leased from its strategic partner Jet Airways. Then, on May 1, Jet Airways will take over the additional service.
Outbound flight EY103 will depart Abu Dhabi International Airport at 0145 and arrive at JFK at 0745, while return flight EY102 will leave JFK at 1135 and land in Abu Dhabi at 0920 the following day.
James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said: "These services will provide greater access to New York City for travellers from Abu Dhabi and further evidence of the importance of Abu Dhabi as a global air transport hub."
In November, Etihad completed a deal to buy a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways (see news, November 20).
Last month, it was announced that Etihad will launch a three-times weekly service to Dallas next December (see news, December 13), joining Chicago, New York, Washington DC and Los Angeles — which is due to launch on June 1 — on the its US flight network.
Graham Smith
