UAE travel: Etihad Airways expands route network with new destination launch

Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi’s national carrier, will introduce direct flights to Sochi, Russia, the carrier announced Friday. The route to Sochi - the gateway to the north-east coast of the Black Sea – will debut this summer starting May 29.

The carrier will fly between Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Sochi International Airport (AER) thrice a week. The flights are on sale now, and Etihad fly to Sochi using the modern A320 family aircraft.

The announcement is the latest new route that Etihad has unveiled. It is the 14th new destination the airline will add to its network this year. Etihad will also commence flights to Atlanta, Hanoi, Hong Kong and Taipei, as well as to the European capitals of Prague and Warsaw. Expanding its network across North Africa, Etihad will begin flying to Algiers, Tunis and Al Alamein.

Etihad will also bolster its network across Southeast Asia with new connections directly to stunning holiday locations, including Chiang Mai and Krabi in Thailand, Medan on the island of Sumatra and the cultural city of Phnom Penh. These join existing destinations across South East Asia, including Phuket and Bangkok.

“The new route (to Sochi) gives more opportunity for guests to visit Abu Dhabi, either as a stopover or a destination,” the airline said in a statement.

The new route will provide guests with nonstop access to the Krasnodar Krai region - home to stunning summer beaches and lush mountains and winter skiing and snowboarding in the nearby Caucasus Mountains, made famous by the 2014 Winter Olympics.

On Thursday, Etihad Airways said it welcomed 1.7 million passengers in January, up 18 per cent on last year. On January 24, Reuters reported that Etihad Airways and flynas are gearing up to list on local stock markets this year, marking the first IPOs by Gulf carriers in nearly two decades. The airline is looking at a listing this quarter, the people with knowledge of its plans said, with one of them saying the airline would target both local and international investors, reported Reuters.