Etihad Airways will begin flying a double-daily service between Abu Dhabi and Dublin from July 15.
The carrier currently operates ten flights per week on the route - when the service increase comes into place, it will provide 8,988 seats each week between the two cities.
Etihad will deploy a B777-300ER, configured to carry 380 passengers with 40 in business and 340 in economy, and an A330-200, configured to carry 262 passengers, with 22 in business and 240 in economy.
From July 15, flight EY45 — a B777-300ER — will depart Abu Dhabi at 0225 and land in Dublin at 0730 local time. Return service EY42 will leave Dublin at 0920 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 1940.
Flight EY41 will be operated by an A330-200 and will take-off from Abu Dhabi at 0915 and land in Dublin at 1425. Return flight EY48 will leave Dublin at 2055 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 0720 the following day.
James Hogan, Etihad's president and CEO, said: "The 40 per cent increase in flight frequency will benefit business and leisure travel not only between Ireland and the UAE, but also right across the Etihad Airways network, especially countries which have a connection with Ireland like Australia, Thailand and Malaysia."
Earlier this month, it emerged that Emirates is to double the number of flights it operates between its Dubai hub and Dublin (see news, January 10).
Graham Smith
