Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is expanding its U.S. flight network. Currently Etihad flies nonstop routes from Abu Dhabi to New York and Chicago. Starting on March 31, 2013, the airline will launch its third U.S. route with daily non-stop flights between Washington D.C. and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and hub for Etihad. A three-class Airbus A340-500 aircraft will operate the flight. Since launching service to the U.S. market (NY in 2006, Chicago in 2009), Etihad Airways has flown nearly 1.5 million passengers on those routes.
On a recent business trip to D.C., President and Chief Executive Officer James Hogan discussed the airline’s strategy at a VIP cocktail party, where he spoke of the importance of expanding the Etihad network in the U.S., one of the airline's highest performing regions. Hogan said, “Particularly with increasing ties between the UAE and US*, both government and private sector, we see a demand for premium services between the Washington, D.C. and Abu Dhabi. I am delighted to bring our award-winning Diamond First Class Suites and Pearl Business Class to the route.” For more information, visit www.etihad.com
*The UAE is the single largest export market for US goods in the Middle East and the US is the fifth largest trade partner worldwide for the UAE.