Etihad Airways has announced an increase in the number of services between Abu Dhabi and India as its partner and one of India’s largest private carriers, Jet Airways recently launched new routes and additional frequencies.
Currently, Etihad Airways operates 175 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and covers 11 Indian cities. Together, Etihad Airways and Jet Airways operate 252 weekly flights between the emirate and 15 cities in India. And with the newly announced flights, the two airlines will together offer services to 18 Indian cities with 280 flights each week.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will launch a fourth daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Kozhikode on 26 March 2017, keeping in mind the strong demand for tickets on the route.
From 1 February 2017, the airline will double its frequency between Abu Dhabi and Ahmedabad, a commercial hub in western state of Gujarat, with the launch of a new daily service.
Jet Airways will launch daily flights between Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), in the state of Tamil Nadu, and Abu Dhabi from 1 February 2017.
The Indian carrier will also introduce daily services from Kannur, the fourth Kerala gateway to Abu Dhabi. There are also plans in place to start a daily service from the northern Indian city of Chandigarh to Abu Dhabi. Both flights are expected to begin in the second half of 2017.
Moreover, from 15 January 2017, Jet Airways will launch a second daily service between New Delhi and Abu Dhabi. Etihad Airways is already operating three flights a day between the two capital cities.
James Hogan, Etihad Aviation Group President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Today’s announcement reflects how we have been working together to enhance our services to give the travelling public more and better choices by using each other’s networks.
“Our partnership with Jet Airways has gone from strength to strength. Sharing resources and reaching decisions together are key to our success. Jet Airways is Etihad Airways’ leading equity partner in terms of revenue and passenger contribution, and this expansion is indicative of the years of friendship, strong bilateral relationship, and economic, trade and cultural ties enjoyed between India and the UAE.”
Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram are the Indian cities which are served by Etihad currently. Jet Airways serves additional Indian cities of Pune, Lucknow, Goa and Mangalore.
