Etihad kicks off Kerala flights

12 June, 2007:

UAE’s national airline Etihad Airways has begun services from Abu Dhabi to the Kerala capital city. According to Etihad Airways officials, the airline has charted out a three-flights-a-week plan to Thiruvananthapuram.

The new flights are a result of added demand for flights to Kerala from Etihad’s customers cross the world, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, said an official. The frequency of the Thiruvananthapuram service would be increased by October 2007.

The airline has announced launch prices for the new Thiruvananthapuram flights starting from Rs 13,680 for return economy class, Rs 27,060 for business class and Rs 43,450 for first class, said a report. It added that Etihad will fly from Abu Dhabi to Thiruvananthapuram on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The flight will take off from Abu Dhabi at 11.05 pm and arrive at Thiruvananthapuram at 4.45 am. The flight will leave Thiruvananthapuram on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 5.50 am and reach Abu Dhabi at 8.15 am.

The airline has also begun its Kochi services. The Kochi flights which will also be a three flights a week service initially would be upgraded to daily services from October. Following the launch of its services to the two Kerala cities, the airline will fly to 10 destinations in Asia. Other destinations include New Delhi, Mumbai, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Colombo and Dhaka. The airline which began its India operations in 2004 is also considering to add Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad to its Indian destinations.