Tag Archives: Etihad

Following the latest UAE government directive, from 26 February, guests who are fully vaccinated and travelling with Etihad Airways to Abu Dhabi will no longer need a PCR test before their flight. Guests who are fully vaccinated and departing or transiting through Abu Dhabi also do not need a PCR test, unless it is a requirement of their end destination. Vaccination certificates must have a QR code. Guests who are not vaccinated and travelling to or from Abu Dhabi must present a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of departure, or a Covid-19 recovery certificate with a QR code dated within 30 days of departure. Children younger than 16 are exempt from the vaccination and testing requirements to fly, on arrival, or to transit. Passengers travelling to Abu Dhabi as their end destination will continue to receive a free-of-charge PCR test on arrival at Abu Dhabi International Airport. No further tests are required once in Abu Dhabi. Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of COVID-19. Terry Daly, Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand and Marketing, Etihad Airways, said: “We warmly welcome this move by the UAE authorities to make travelling to and from Abu Dhabi and the UAE even easier, while maintaining a safe environment. Abu Dhabi has built a reputation for delivering a robust response to the pandemic with high vaccination rates and a comprehensive approach to health and safety measures. Similarly, through the Etihad Wellness programme, we’ve ensured a healthy inflight environment with fully vaccinated crew to look after our guests on board. With this in mind, we look forward …

Etihad Guest, the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, and talabat, the region’s leading food, and q-commerce delivery platform, are expanding their partnership with the Etihad Guest ‘Miles on the Go’ programme to include carbon offsetting until December 2023. The original agreement was signed in September 2021 and allowed Etihad Guest members to earn and redeem miles when ordering food, groceries, and other essentials on the talabat platform in the UAE. Today, Etihad Guest members can also contribute to the Conscious Choices sustainability initiative recently launched by the airline. In partnership with CarbonClick, the project will offset each ride made by a talabat rider through the Miles on the Go programme, helping to contribute to the overall effort by the airline to offset its carbon footprint, making it the first in the world to reward its guests for adopting more sustainable practices. Kim Hardaker, Director Loyalty and Partnerships, Etihad Airways, said: “We are very proud of our Conscious Choices initiative and our venture with talabat through the Miles on the Go programme is an example of our constant strive to find new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. This partnership enhances our commitment and that of our guests towards making a positive impact to a more sustainable future.” Onur Elgun, Vice President of Strategy at talabat, added: “As a company, we are stepping up our efforts to contribute to a more sustainable future focusing on offsetting and reducing our carbon footprint. Therefore, the timing of this couldn’t be better, and it’s an opportunity to positively contribute to projects that create clean energy, a key driver in reducing global carbon emissions”. “We’re very proud to continue expanding our partnership with …

Etihad Airways was the first international flight to land in Phuket, to mark the reopening of tourism to Thailand. To celebrate the occasion the aircraft was greeted with the customary water cannon salute on arrival. Etihad flight EY430 from Abu Dhabi to Phuket arrived at Phuket International Airport at 11am on 1 July, and is the first Etihad flight to return to Thailand since the start of the pandemic. The airline will operate three weekly flights to the island of Phuket, helping to support the recovery and bring tourism back to Thailand. Martin Drew, Senior Vice President Global Sales and Cargo, said: “Etihad’s return to Phuket is a fantastic step forward as we reopen a very popular holiday destination for travellers from the UAE, and we’re proud to be the first international flight to arrive since the pandemic halted travel last year. Holiday makers from Europe and further afield can also easily connect through Abu Dhabi and on to Phuket, and can enjoy the benefits of flying in safety and comfort on Etihad’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.” To further support the return to travel, Etihad has extended its ‘Verified To Fly’ travel document initiative, enabling travellers to validate their Covid-19 travel documents before arriving at the airport, to routes across its global network. Available for the vast majority of Etihad flights, passengers can use the Verified to Fly service up by visiting ‘Manage my Booking’ on etihad.com and following the simple instructions to upload and submit their travel documents. Guests will receive confirmation once their documents have been approved in line with government requirements and can travel to the airport with confidence and peace of mind, knowing they have met all …

Etihad Airways and SAUDIA, announced a new reciprocal loyalty agreement, expanding on the existing codeshare deal between the two airlines. Members of the Etihad Guest and ALFURSAN programmes can now earn and redeem miles on flights across both carriers’ networks. Loyalty programme members from both airlines will also be able to earn Tier Miles and Tier Segments, helping them progress to the next tier level faster. In addition, members will be able to earn miles on Etihad and SAUDIA codeshare flights. Terry Daly, Executive Director Guest Experience, Brand & Marketing, Etihad Airways, said, “As the aviation industry begins to restart and guests return to the skies, this partnership strengthens the airlines’ commitment to growing inbound business and tourism in their respective markets. It complements Etihad’s existing codeshare agreement with SAUDIA and opens more destinations for Etihad Guest members to earn and spend their miles through travel.” Khalid Al-Bassam, Chief Commercial Officer, SAUDIA, commented, “We are pleased to strengthen our partnership with Etihad through this latest agreement, which further builds on our shared history of successful collaboration. By offering our guests more opportunities to earn miles we are bringing greater value, flexibility and convenience to their travel experience, which will help fuel growth in demand and contribute to our goal of enhancing the Kingdom’s aviation and tourism sectors.” The partners are also re-launching their codeshare cooperation beyond each other’s hubs. Under this extensive commercial partnership, which has seen more than 110,000 passenger journeys facilitated over the past two years, SAUDIA has added its ‘SV’ code to 15 destinations on the Etihad network in Saudi Arabia, Asia, the US and Europe. In addition, Etihad has added its ‘EY’ code to SAUDIA destinations …

Etihad Airways operated its first ecoFlight for 2021, continuing research and testing under the Etihad Greenliner programme to assess environmental sustainability initiatives during scheduled services. This is Etihad’s fourth ecoFlight, operated on the airline’s signature Greenliner aircraft which is fully offset for all operations through 2021 as part of the airline’s mission toward carbon neutral flying. The maiden 2021 ecoFlight, EY83, departed Abu Dhabi for Rome on April 17, testing a range of flight and engine optimisation initiatives, as well as onboard product enhancements to reduce weight and single-use plastics, with successful trials to be incorporated into regular scheduled operations. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “Etihad made a significant and tangible commitment to sustainability and the future of aviation over a year ago, first when we launched the Greenliner programme in partnership with Boeing, GE and other aviation leaders, then with our commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 and halving our net emission levels by 2035. ‘Since then, and throughout the pandemic we have remained on track, with a number of ecoFlights during 2020, as well as partnering with Boeing, NASA and Safran on the 2020 ecoDemonstrator programme. Now in 2021 we are stepping up our efforts so eco testing won’t be confined to quarterly dedicated ecoFlights, but instead an always on, ever present part of operations to test, refine and implement sustainability initiatives. This kind of incremental, real world testing is the foundation of the Greenliner programme, which will allow us to continue R&D efforts into decarbonization opportunities. “This isn’t about solving only Etihad’s emissions, but about supporting the entire industry to address the biggest challenge we face over the next three decades.”

Global Village has revealed that the recently launched Etihad Baggage Claim Challenge has been welcomed with a positive reception by enthusiastic guests. The park partnered with Etihad Airways to provide guests with a unique opportunity to travel the world. Since its launch on Sunday, April 4th, the unique promotion has captured the imagination of those visiting the destination, with hundreds of participants entering daily for the chance to win. As the latest Silver Jubilee Season activation, the Global Village guest that guesses the 5-digit combination code of the large locked travel trunk located in the Park will receive one million Etihad Guest Miles, AED 25,000 cash for their travels, and AED 25,000 to shop at Global Village as they prepare for the trip of a lifetime. Every few days, a number is being released until a winner cracks the code, and these are being published on various channels including the Etihad Guest website (www.EtihadGuest.com) and mobile app, Arabian Radio Network stations, and Global Village Instagram channel and mobile app. Two of the five numbers have already been revealed and with more digits set to be published soon, guests are urged to follow Global Village social media platforms and download the app to increase their chances of winning.  This exciting activation is part of the Ramadan Nights program where guests can enjoy time with friends and family every evening from 6pm until 2am.

Etihad Airways unveiled a year-long programme in celebration of the 50 years since the nation was established. The programme will launch in three phases, focusing on the past, the present and looking forward to the future. The airline has launched a dedicated platform at etihad.com/uae50, and aims to engage the local community in its participative programme which will be revealed in detail throughout the year. Citizens, residents and guests of the UAE will have the chance to participate and win one of 50,000 prizes that will be given away throughout the course of the year. Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “This year-long initiative demonstrates Etihad’s celebration of the past, and commitment to the next 50 years of this incredible country. As one of the UAE’s leading brands, Etihad is proud to bring the world to Abu Dhabi to be part of this celebration.”  

All flights of Emirates and Etihad have been moved from the Northern Gate to Terminal 1 at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah from Monday, March 29, 2021. The Kingdom’s aviation body said earlier this month that it will resume international travel and complete the opening of all airports from May 17, 2021. However, international flights coming in from the countries that the authority has suspended travel to and from due to Covid restrictions will not be allowed to fly into Saudi Arabia. In order to ease travel for passengers, the UAE airlines — including Emirates and Etihad — as well as other Gulf carriers are running trials of digital passports. The digital passport — a certification, verification and validation system — could be an advanced form of the UAE’s Al Hosn mobile app, with not just vaccination and Covid-19 test data, but also details like pre-travel eligibility requirements for the destination. It is expected to authenticate all country travel and health regulations, manage all documentation digitally and facilitate seamless travel.

Etihad Airways flights continue to operate, however as the airline follows UAE and international government and regulatory authority directives, selected destinations have introduced travel restrictions. Detailed information on the current restrictions is available at Etihad Travel Updates. Guests are requested to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport. The new global travel restrictions are currently impacting travel across India, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UK.  

Etihad Airways will resume passenger flights from Abu Dhabi, UAE, to Casablanca and Rabat, in the Kingdom of Morocco. Effective September 19, the airline will operate returning flights three times a week from Abu Dhabi to Casablanca. This service will be followed by direct flights between the two capitals, Abu Dhabi and Rabat, on October 28. Those wishing to book are advised to visit www.etihad.com to view their options and to remain informed on the appropriate entry regulations at their end destination. Flights are also available for booking through the mobile app, by calling the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 600 555 666 (UAE), or through a local or online travel agency. The addition of Casablanca and Rabat brings the total number destinations Etihad is operating to 58 destinations worldwide.