A second daily non-stop service between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne is being introduced from tomorrow (Saturday) by Etihad Airways.
A three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will be deployed on the route with eight seats in first class, 40 in business class and 280 in economy. It complements the airline’s existing daily non-stop B777 Melbourne flight.
The carrier will be able to offer one-stop connectivity between Melbourne and destinations such as Edinburgh, London, Manchester and Dublin.
Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive, James Hogan, said: “Becoming the only airline to offer double daily non-stop flights between Melbourne and the UAE clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment to Victoria and exponentially increases the attractiveness of our customer proposition.
“From August 1 we will connect more international visitors to Melbourne from more markets in the Middle East and Europe and will offer Melbournians the convenience of two daily departures and one-stop connectivity to more than 50 great destinations.”
The new double-daily schedule for Melbourne raises the total number of non-stop weekly return flights the airline operates between its four Australian gateways to 39.
Etihad flies daily from Brisbane and Perth and offers double daily flights from Sydney – 11 of which are operated by Etihad Airways and three which are flown by partner Virgin Australia.
Etihad also codeshares on Virgin Australia flights to 44 destinations across Australia and six in New Zealand.