Etihad Airways plans to fly to 58 destinations from its Abu Dhabi hub by August – but still less than half of its full pre-pandemic schedule.
Major gateways in the Middle East, North America, Europe, Asia and Australia are intended to be served, subject to the lifting of international restrictions and the re-opening of individual countries.
The return to a larger network of international flights follows the easing of travel restrictions by UAE regulatory authorities on outbound and inbound travel for citizens and residents.
All travel remains subject to the entry and health regulations set by the UAE authorities, and those at the end destination.
Group chief executive Tony Douglas said: “We are delighted to announce the gradual expansion of normal scheduled services to more cities across our global network.
“The easing of restrictions on travel to and from the UAE is an important first step and a great development for Abu Dhabi.
“By August we aim to operate approximately 45% of our pre-Covid capacity.
“While we have continued to operate a schedule of special passenger, cargo and humanitarian flights over the last few months, the priority is now to build the network back up on markets that have opened up, and to provide a secure and hygienic flying environment across the entire guest journey.
“Over the last few months, we have seized every opportunity to improve our processes, review our product offering, and to undertake the biggest fleet maintenance programme in our history. We are tremendously grateful to our customers and partners for their continued loyalty.”
Etihad’s summer schedule will feature a wider network and increased frequencies to the following destinations from Abu Dhabi, subject to the applicable government approvals:
North America: Chicago, New York JFK, Toronto, Washington DC
Europe: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, London Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Rome, Zurich
Middle East & Africa: Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Kuwait, Muscat, Rabat, Riyadh, Seychelles
Asia: Ahmedabad, Baku, Bangkok, Bengaluru, Chennai, Colombo, Delhi, Hyderabad, Islamabad, Jakarta, Karachi, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Male, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Thiruvananthapuram, Tokyo
Australasia: Melbourne, Sydney