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Etihad marks 20 years of France flights with bigger Paris schedule

Airline now flies up to three times daily between Abu Dhabi and Paris

Last updated: July 03, 2026 | 10:54

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

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Etihad Airways is increasing Airbus A380 services to Paris as demand for Europe travel rises this summer.

Etihad Airways

Dubai: Etihad Airways is marking 20 years of flying to France, two decades after launching its first service between Abu Dhabi and Paris in June 2006.

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The route started with six flights a week when Etihad was still a young airline, operating a fleet of 17 aircraft to around 34 destinations. Today, the airline connects Abu Dhabi and Paris with up to three daily flights, while its wider French network includes seasonal summer services to Nice on the French Riviera.

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France network grows

Etihad now operates a fleet of 124 aircraft to 118 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.

The airline said its France operations have grown in step with Abu Dhabi’s rising profile as a destination and transit hub, with more travellers using Etihad to reach the UAE capital and connect onwards through its global network.

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Europe expansion continues

The milestone lands during a renewed growth phase for Etihad, which is operating ahead of the capacity it flew a year ago.

The airline continues to expand across Europe through new routes, additional frequencies and codeshare partnerships, giving travellers in France more options to reach Abu Dhabi and connect to destinations across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Australia.

Etihad is also preparing for longer-term expansion, with plans to grow its fleet to around 250 aircraft and double the size of the airline.

The growth would give the carrier more room to add destinations, increase frequencies and strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position in long-haul travel markets, including France.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series. Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question. When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.