Etihad strengthens Asian links with flights to Kuala Lumpur

Dubai: Etihad Airways will operate six weekly flights to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur from January 15, the UAE's national carrier said in a statement.

"This non-stop service between the UAE and the Malaysian capital is set to be one of our most popular, with a high volume of traffic direct from the Middle East, and also among European guests looking to travel via Abu Dhabi to Malaysia on business or vacation," James Hogan, CEO of Etihad Airways, said.

Kuala Lumpur is a highly popular destination for UAE and other Middle Eastern nationals due to the flexible visa requirements, and the advanced medical facilities and treatments that Malaysia is offering.

"Malaysia and the UAE enjoy an array of cultural ties in addition to their vibrant economies. We fully expect business executives and leisure travellers, based in both countries to fly frequently with Etihad on this new service, further enhancing trade links," Hogan said.

Malaysia is importing an increasing volume of goods from the UAE, and trade between the two countries has reached $606 million in the last two years.

It will be Etihad's fourth destination in South-East Asia, following the enormously successful double-daily service to Bangkok, along with the non-stop operations to Jakarta and Manila.

Etihad will operate one of its three-zone Airbus A340-300 aircraft between Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, carrying 265 passengers in the three classes.

The service will operate every day of the week except Saturday.