Tag Archives: Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways has temporarily suspended all flights between Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in response to a directive from the General Authority for Civil Aviation, Saudi Arabia, to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The airline operates up to 12 flights per day between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. It has cancelled a total of seven flights today between Abu Dhabi and the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina, and is now advising passengers who were booked to travel today. Another four flights which were en-route to Saudi Arabia at the time of the directive were permitted to land. When flights arrived in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, nationals of Saudi Arabi were permitted to disembark but all other passengers remained on the aircraft, which will return to Abu Dhabi. The fourth flight operated to Medina to repatriate Umrah passengers. In addition to the flight suspensions to and from the UAE, Saudi Arabia has also banned Saudi nationals and Saudi residents from travelling to countries including the UAE and on passengers travelling from or transiting through Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Italy, Egypt and Korea. Etihad Airways is working closely with regulatory authorities in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and is continuing to monitor this situation closely. For passengers impacted by the flight cancellations, procedures are in place for fare refunds or for flight changes when services resume.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) and Al Hilal Bank signed an agreement with Etihad Holidays, which will provide customers of both banks an easy payment plan when booking an Etihad Holiday.  The signing ceremony took place at the Etihad Aviation Group headquarters in Abu Dhabi, between Mr. Hareb Almuhairy, Senior Vice President Destination and Leisure Management at Etihad Airways and Omran Taimour, Regional Head – Branch Banking from ADCB in the presence of senior officials from ADCB and Etihad Airways. Deepak Rochlani, Head – Retail Banking at ADCB, said, “The collaboration between ADCB and Etihad Holidays to introduce an easy payment plan for ADCB credit cardholders echoes our commitment to provide our customers with the most rewarding travel experiences.” Ian Hodges, Head – Personal Banking at Al Hilal Bank, said, “At Al Hilal Bank, the customer need is always first and with this new proposition we hope that we are inspiring and enabling people to travel more and explore the world while enjoying rewards and benefits that go beyond their expectations.” Hareb Almuhairy, Senior Vice President Destination and Leisure Management at Etihad Airways, said, “Etihad Holidays offers our guests the ability to enjoy rich travel experiences, and we strive to make this as accessible as possible for everyone. We are pleased to extend our partnership with ADCB and Al Hilal Bank to offer convenient payment solutions.”

Etihad Airways announced a partnership with Braathens IT to develop TravelPass, an innovative travel solution initially aimed at corporate and frequent travellers which will be launched later this year. The new TravelPass technology provides a subscription-based travel solution, allowing Etihad to offer its frequent guests complete flexibility and ease with their regular and recurring travel arrangements. Customers can purchase a TravelPass for a set number of trips or a particular travel period instead of purchasing flights one by one. Subscription-based travel is good news for the aviation industry as it provides customers with the choice between prepaid trips and pay-as-you-fly options, meeting the demands of flexibility, ease of booking and cost-efficient travel management. Robin Kamark, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “The innovative TravelPass technology offers a revolutionary booking experience for corporate and frequent clients who will also be enrolled into our award-winning Etihad Guest frequent flyer programme. By simplifying the travel process to just a few clicks, our guests have a seamless transaction through a platform that holds all your details in one place, gives you the flexibility to make changes to your bookings without fees and gives you the choice to pay later. We know our corporate clients are time-poor and believe this innovative addition to our digital offering will improve the travel journey for subscribers.” Svein Therkelsen, Chief Executive Officer, Braathens IT, said, “Etihad is going to take sophisticated digital personalisation very far, everything from ease of use to customisation. They are an innovative player and they will continue in that direction to improve their customers’ digital experience using TravelPass.”

Etihad Airways will increase frequencies on its popular Abu Dhabi to Athens route during the busy summer peak months. The additional overnight service will be operated between July 8 and August 31 by an Airbus A320 configured with eight seats in Business and 150 seats in Economy. The extra frequency complements the daily two-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner morning daytime service between the two capitals. Abu Dhabi – Athens schedule will be effective from July 8, 2020 (all timings are local). Flight EY 91 will depart daily from Abu Dhabi at 09:30 and arrive at Athens at 13.35. EY 90 will depart daily from Athens at 14:55 and reach Abu Dhabi at 20:30. EY 93, a daily, will start from Abu Dhabi at 02:10 and arrive at Athens at 06:05. Flight EY 92 will depart daily from Athens at 13:05 and will reach Abu Dhabi at 18:50.

Etihad Airways has become the most recent airline to partner with UK’s easyJet, one of the world’s largest airlines. This new partnership means customers can purchase tickets through the easyJet worldwide website connecting the two airlines’ networks and opening new and exciting possibilities for travel between Europe, Africa, the Azores and the UAE. The collaboration comes into effect immediately. The partnership follows easyJet’s accelerated and successful roll out programme with world-leading flight comparison search engine, Dohop, which powers the easyJet worldwide website connecting its European network with long-haul flights. For Etihad, this has been achieved using the NDC (New Distribution Capability) platform providing technical capability for new partnerships previously not possible. The partnership with easyJet and Dohop is the UAE national airline’s first use of this technology and Etihad plans to add more airlines and travel partners to their NDC portfolio in 2020. Ali Saleh, Vice President Alliances and Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said, “This new collaboration between two great brands is a logical leap forward for both our companies. easyJet is a perfect launch partner for us in Europe, allowing us to reliably increase the breadth of our continental reach to and from Abu Dhabi, as we enhance ways of connecting directly with more airlines and travel partners around the world.”  Rachel Smith, Head of Commercial Partnerships, easyJet, said, “We’re excited to announce our partnership with Etihad Airways, which opens up Abu Dhabi as a destination to our passengers and more of Europe to Etihad. Through smart self-connections and strategic partnerships, we continue to extend the reach of the worldwide by easyJet network offering more value and more routes to more customers.”

Etihad Airways will mark Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2020 by operating a special ‘eco-flight’ from Abu Dhabi to Brussels, featuring a range of initiatives designed to illustrate the airline’s broad commitment to sustainable practices in the air and on the ground. Flight EY 57, departed at 2.20 am on January 13, operated with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, the newest and most efficient type in the Etihad fleet, which consumes at least 15 per cent less fuel than any aircraft type previously flown by the airline. The aircraft will follow an optimised flight route facilitated by the European airspace navigation service provider Eurocontrol to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. A range of other initiatives will be undertaken before, during and after the flight to highlight incremental opportunities to reduce the airline’s impact on the environment. The aircraft will follow an optimised flight route facilitated by the European airspace navigation service provider Eurocontrol to reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. A range of other initiatives will be undertaken before, during and after the flight to highlight incremental opportunities to reduce the airline’s impact on the environment. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Sustainable practice is a critical and continuing challenge for the air transport industry, which is striving to reduce carbon emissions and waste, while meeting soaring demand for air travel. It is also a key priority for the emirate of Abu Dhabi, in which Etihad is a critical driver of both social and economic development. This year’s national theme of the United Arab Emirates is ‘2020: Towards the next 50’. Etihad is committed to working continuously with a range of partners as part of a …

Miral finalised a partnership with Etihad Airways, to secure exclusive naming rights of Yas Bay Arena. As part of the agreement, Abu Dhabi’s first-of-its-kind multi-purpose, indoor entertainment venue will officially be named Etihad Arena. With Etihad Airways’ track record for connecting Abu Dhabi to the world and promoting the UAE as a vibrant and growing hub for culture, business and tourism, the airline is the perfect partner to help further raise the profile of this unique venue and Yas Island as a destination. With both companies playing a key role in the emirate’s economic diversification and development strategy, the new partnership will help position the Etihad Arena as one of the leading entertainment venues in the region and an important addition to Yas Island and Abu Dhabi’s entertainment and tourism offering. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group commented, “It’s an honour to partner with an Abu Dhabi institution such as Miral on this joint venture, that will further promote Abu Dhabi and Yas Island as a hub for entertainment, tourism and culture. Etihad Arena complements our global presence at a number of sporting and entertainment venues, most notably Etihad Stadium in Manchester, home of Manchester City Football Club.” Commenting on the agreement, Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral, said, “As our national airline with international reach, Etihad Airways is the ideal partner to help position the newly named Etihad Arena competitively on the local and regional map of live entertainment destinations. The new venue will be a significant addition to the unique offerings on Yas Island and in Abu Dhabi, creating unforgettable experiences, and helping us deliver on our vision to position Yas Island as …

Australia is a key and highly valued market in the global network of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, with the three largest cities, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all served daily. In response to the country’s devastating bushfires, Etihad Airways will waive flight change fees for Australian residents affected by this ongoing national emergency. The waivers will apply for travel to or from Australia. UAE-based Australians, or those in Australia seeking changes to their Etihad flights as a result of the fire emergency, should contact Etihad Guest Services in the UAE. In addition to passenger fee waivers, the airline will also work in partnership with Emirates Red Crescent to raise funds within the UAE to help support bushfire relief. As part of its international workforce, Etihad is the proud employer of more than 300 Australian nationals outside Australia, who, with their families, number more than 1,000. Most reside in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, where the airline is based.  In total, some 16,000 Australian nationals live and work in the UAE.

Etihad Airways will operate its popular seasonal routes from Abu Dhabi to Alexandria, Egypt, and Salalah, Oman, between June 25 to September 15, 2020. Due to the success of the routes in 2019, the period of operation has been extended by three weeks and a new fifth weekly service introduced on both routes on Fridays, complementing existing departures on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Both flights will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft. With the addition of these seasonal destinations, the airline will operate a total of 33 flights per week to Egypt, 28 flights to Cairo and five to Alexandria. The airline will operate a total of 26 flights per week to Oman with 21 weekly flights to Muscat and five to Salalah. The historical city of Alexandria, the second-largest in Egypt, is known for its rich history and beautiful Mediterranean coastline. Salalah, known for its natural beauty and culture, is popular during summer months for its unique khareef, or green season. Flight EY 660 will depart from Abu Dhabi at 13:55 pm and arrive in Alexandria at 15:40 pm, the flight will operate five days a week (Tuesday, Thurday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Flights EY 661 will depart Alexandria at 16:35 pm Abu Dhabi at 22:25 pm, the flight will operate five days a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday).

Etihad Airways and Kuwait Airways have signed a codeshare partnership on selected services on bookings effective December 22, 2019, for travel from January 5, 2020. Subject to regulatory approvals, Etihad will place its ‘EY’ code on Kuwait Airways operated flights from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait, Najaf and Dhaka. In turn, Kuwait Airways will place its ‘KU’ code on Etihad flights from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi, Belgrade, Casablanca, Rabat, Khartoum, Johannesburg, Lagos, Nairobi, Male in the Maldives, and Mahe in the Seychelles. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “The joint network and product advantages of our codeshare collaboration with Kuwait Airways will create tangible benefits for our customers, building on the strong relationship between our two nations, while providing greater convenience and superior in-flight service and hospitality. Additionally, it gives Etihad unprecedented access to important markets not served by Etihad, particularly to Iraq and Bangladesh, where we have significant point-to-point and transfer traffic, and complements our existing services to cities such as Istanbul, enabling us to now offer flights to the city’s secondary gateway.” Kamel Al-Awadhi, Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Airways, said, “This new partnership will bring enhanced connectivity and increased convenience to our customers, who can expect the same level of impeccable service that they receive from our airline when they travel on codeshare flights to and from Kuwait to Abu Dhabi and beyond. The agreement will support Kuwait Airways and Etihad operations between our two capital cities and provide more travel options beyond both gateways. The codeshare partnership will give customers the simplicity of purchasing connecting flights on both airlines using one reservation, guaranteeing a seamless experience throughout their entire journey. Passengers and travel …