Increased connectivity between two major aviation hubs.
The national airline of the United Arab Emirates, Etihad Airways, is boosting its presence in the German market by increasing flight frequency on Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt routes. The news comes shortly after the airline announced new flights between Abu Dhabi and Düsseldorf beginning October 1, 2023.
Etihad currently serves Frankfurt with a daily flight from Abu Dhabi. However, beginning May 1, 2023, Etihad will add four extra daily services between Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Frankfurt Airport (FRA), bringing the total number of weekly flights to FRA airport to 11.
Additional flights to Frankfurt, which last approximately more than six hours, will be operated on the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which has the capacity to accommodate a total of 290 passengers (28 in business class and 262 in economy class).
While the airline did not explicitly state which Dreamliner model will be deployed, it can be assumed that it will be the 787-9 rather than the larger 787-10 variant due to the mentioned capacity by the airline.
It is worth noting that the UAE-based airline currently has a total of 39 Boeing 787 Dreamliners (30 787-8s and nine 787-10s) in its fleet with an average age of 5.1 years, according to Planespotters.net data.
Commenting on Etihad’s increased flight frequencies, Arik De, Chief Revenue Officer of Etihad Airways, said:
“We are pleased to offer our guests more flights to Frankfurt, one of Europe’s most important airports. The increase in frequency also means greater connectivity to our growing network and the opportunity to welcome more visitors to Abu Dhabi, where they can enjoy our world-renowned hospitality, culture, leisure activities, and cuisine.”
Etihad’s rapid network growth
It has been a busy first part of the year for Etihad regarding its network expansion, with the airline adding new or resuming previous services across the globe.
In mid-January 2023, the carrier announced it would launch new flights to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Dusseldorf, Germany. Meanwhile, in early January 2023, the airline said it would double its flight frequencies to Thailand’s capital Bangkok and boost its presence in China. According to the airline, all these flights will be operated using Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Photo: Etihad Airways
Etihad has also recently announced that it doubled its service between Abu Dhabi and Jakarta. This flight will be operated using a mix of Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Boeing 777 aircraft.
Currently, Etihad has a total of 12 Boeing 777 jets (five 777 freighters and seven 777-300ER) with an average age of 9.3 years, according to Planespotters.net. In addition to Boeing 777s and 787 Dreamliners, Etihad boasts a fleet of 15 Airbus A320s, ten Airbus A380s, nine Airbus A321s, and five Airbus A350 XWB aircraft.
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Sources: Planespotters.net, Flightradar24.com
