Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is to introduce eight live television channels that will allow passengers to keep up with sports and breaking news from around the world, including this weekend’s Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The new live channels that will be available on Etihad Airways are BBC World News, BBC Arabic, Euronews and Sport 24, which will be available from November 1. CNBC, Japan’s NHK World Premium, and CNN, will be introduced later in the November, while Sky News Arabia will follow in the coming months.
The highlight of the sports coverage will be the final three races of the Formula 1 season — the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix held this Sunday, November 3, at Yas Marina Circuit, the US Grand Prix on November 17, and the Brazil Grand Prix on November 24.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to broadcast this weekend’s Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on many of our aircraft, ensuring that passengers who are flying on race day won’t miss any of the action from Yas Marina Circuit.”
In addition to the Formula 1, passengers can also tune into a selection of the best sporting action this November, including the ATP World Tour Finals, English Premier League and Bundesliga matches, besides Euroleague Basketball.
The sports coverage will continue in 2014 and includes the Australian Open, French Open and US Open tennis championships, the Winter Olympics, the Masters from Augusta, the Ryder Cup golf, and the Fifa World Cup from Brazil.
Baumgartner added: “In-flight entertainment is a key part of the guest travel experience and the introduction of the eight live channels, from brands such as Sky News Arabia, CNN and the BBC, as well as top global action on Sport 24, will be a fantastic addition to Etihad Airways’ flights.”
All eight news and sport channels will be available on 21 Etihad Airways wide-body aircraft by November 7. The service will be expanded to 37 wide-body aircraft by the end of next year.
