Thursday, September 19, 2024 Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national airline, is marking two decades of service to India this month. The airline first introduced flights to India’s commercial hub, Mumbai, on September 26, 2004, followed closely by New Delhi on December 1, 2004. Over the years, Etihad’s Indian network has grown significantly, with recent additions of routes to Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Jaipur earlier this year.
This brings the total number of destinations Etihad serves in India to 11. In 2024, Etihad also increased its seat capacity between Abu Dhabi and India, adding more flight frequencies to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Now, with over 50 additional flights per week compared to last summer, passengers benefit from improved departure options and greater flexibility for connecting flights.
Celebrating the milestone, Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways, said: “India is a strategically important market for Etihad and we’re extremely proud to be celebrating 20 years of flying to this incredible country. When the young and ambitious Etihad launched flights to Mumbai in 2004, it was Etihad’s 8 th global destination and since then we’ve expanded to 80 destinations with a vision to offer 125 destinations by 2030. “This year, we are proud to offer Indian travellers a greater number of flight options from 11 gateways across India making Etihad the leading airline for connectivity for Indian travellers to the Middle East, .