Etihad joins Atas to showcase new destinations in southeast Asia

Etihad has joined the Association of Touring & Adventure Suppliers (Atas) to showcase its destinations, products and award-winning service to UK travel agents.

 

Jeremy Pollock, UK & Ireland general manager at Etihad, said being part of Atas enables the Abu Dhabi-based carrier to engage with the association’s members and expand its trade relationships.

 

“Etihad is growing rapidly and recently launched a number of new destinations across southeast Asia,” he told Travel Weekly.

 

“We would like to increase awareness of these exciting new destinations, a number of which are operated with our groundbreaking Airbus A321-LR which offers a three-cabin wide-body experience on a single-aisle aircraft.”

 

He said there are “strong synergies” between new routes – such as Chiang Mai, Phnom Penh, Hanoi and Krabi – and the “amazing destination knowledge” of Atas’ agents. 

 

“We want to increase our investment in training and support with these agents to showcase our network development and help support their businesses and conversations with clients,” he added.

 

The national carrier for the UAE operates four flights a day from Heathrow to Abu Dhabi and up to 18 flights per week from Manchester.

 

From Abu Dhabi, there are connections throughout India, southeast Asia, northeast Asia and Australia.

 

More: Etihad pushes annual carryings up to record level

 

Pollock said the airline is seeing “continued strong growth in dynamic packages” from the UK market.

 

Passengers also want to “maximise time and efficiency”, he added, “which fits well with our new network development, allowing travellers to fly one-stop to multiple smaller gateways across southeast Asia”.

 

He explained that the touring and adventure sector “fits perfectly” with Etihad’s routes, so he and his team “would like to share our passion with as many agents as possible”.

 

“Etihad offers a wide range of sales, engagement and support opportunities,” he said.

 

“The team are always on the road conducting in-person training and events and would love to meet with more agents. They also deliver online webinars and provide tailored marketing support.” 

 

For 2025, Etihad reported record passenger numbers of 22.4 million, a 21% increase over 2024.

 

“We are seeing continued growth into 2026 and look forward to receiving more new aircraft into our fleet to help support this demand,” he added.

 

“Highlights for 2026 include 20 years of flight operations from Manchester in March and the launch of Zanzibar in June.”

 

Claire Brighton, Atas director, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Etihad on board. Its network and connections offer our agents lots of opportunities and we’re looking forward to finding out more about how the carrier can support our members.”