Etihad launches daily services to Chennai, Kozhikode
05 Aug 2008
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has increased its services to India with the launch of daily flights from Abu Dhabi to the southern Indian cities of Chennai and Kozhikode.
Etihad will operate a two class A320 on the daily Kozhikode and Chennai services, configured to carry 140 passengers with 20 seats in business class and 120 in economy.
Flight EY250 departs Abu Dhabi at 11.35pm and arrives in Kozhikode at 5am the next day, while the return flight EY251 departs Kozhikode at 5.45am, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 8am the same day.
The new Chennai service will operate as flight EY266 on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing Abu Dhabi at 8.50am and arriving in Chennai at 2.30pm. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the service operates as flight EY268, departing Abu Dhabi at 1.45pm and arriving in Chennai at 7.25pm.
Return flight, EY267, departs Chennai on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 3.15pm, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 5.45pm the same day. On Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the service operates as flight EY269, departing Chennai at 8.20pm and arriving in the UAE capital at 10.50pm.
The two separate services, launched on 1 August 2008, take the number of Indian destinations served by Etihad to six. It also brings the total number of global destinations now served by the carrier to 47.
By the end of 2008 this number is slated to rise to 50 with the launch of new services to Minsk in Belarus, Moscow in Russia and Almaty in Kazhakstan.
The airline also announced this week that Melbourne will be added to its route network early in 2009.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways' chief executive, said: ''India is an enormously important market for Etihad and one we are very keen to expand further. The appetite for air travel between Abu Dhabi and India shows no sign of relenting and we hope to grow our Indian flying programme even further in the future. ''
The coastal city of Kozhikode becomes Etihad's third destination in Kerala, adding to its highly successful flights from Abu Dhabi to Kochi and state capital, Thiruvananthapuram..
Chennai is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Etihad now operates 42 flights a week from the UAE to India, with flights from Abu Dhabi also connecting India's commercial capital, Mumbai, and national capital, New Delhi.
Subject to government approval, Etihad hopes to secure additional traffic rights for Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore and Hyderabad from Abu Dhabi.
The 14 additional weekly flights to India are part of Etihad's expanded summer schedule which is almost 50 per cent larger than the same period last year. The airline now operates a total of 728 weekly flights, compared to 494 in the same period last year.
