Etihad to launch flights to Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai

25 May, 2007: Etihad Airways plans to add more destinations in India. The airline will add major cities in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, to its flight network. The Abu Dhabi-based airline has plans to launch flights to Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. The airline will launch flights on May 30, 2007 to Thiruvananthapuram and to Kochi on June 2, 2007. The Etihad flights will offer 3,360 seats per week between the UAE and Kerala which will increase to 6,720 when the two Kerala routes become daily service from October 2007.

Etihad Airways top brass had held parleys with the Indian government over the opening of new routes some time ago. The talks had resulted in Etihad being able to offer a total of 21 flights per week from Abu Dhabi to India.

With a population of one billion people and the world's second fastest growing economy, demand for Etihad's flights to India is huge, feel the officials at Etihad. With over one million Indian citizens living in the UAE who are eager to have greater air links, it is hoped that the governments of the two nations would reach an agreement for even more non-stop flights.