Etihad Airways Increases Flights to Sydney

Etihad Airways has increased its number of services from its home base of Abu Dhabi to Sydney, Australia, from seven to eleven.

The increase is part of the airline’s ambitious growth plans for Australia with new services from Melbourne launching in March 2009 to add to its existing Sydney and Brisbane routes.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said, “Sydney has been one of Etihad’s most successful route launches in our five-year history and is a hugely important destination in our global network.

“Abu Dhabi’s central geographic location makes it ideal as a gateway for air travellers from Australia to connect to Europe, Africa and throughout the Middle East. The increased Sydney flights will provide our customers with more options and better connections to and from Australia.”

Passengers heading to Australia from Etihad destinations in Europe and the Middle East can now choose from a morning or evening departure to Sydney, allowing a smooth transfer through Abu Dhabi airport.

Among the destinations which will provide a seamless transfer to the Sydney flight are Bahrain, Doha, Muscat, Cairo, Beirut, Damascus, Amman as well as Dublin, London Heathrow and Paris.

Etihad operates a brand-new Airbus A340-600 to Sydney which offers 12 seats in first class, 30 in business class and 244 in economy.

First and business class customers can take advantage of Etihad’s free chauffer drive service in Sydney which aims to eliminate the stresses of getting to and from Kingsfield Smith airport.

Etihad continues to expand its brand in Australia and last month signed a deal which will see the famous Telstra Dome in Melbourne re-named from early next year as the Etihad Stadium.

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