Etihad Airways, the National Airline of the United Arab Emirates, will officially launch its route to Frankfurt on June 1. Flight EY 325 will take off from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt. This non-stop daily flight comes just a year after the airline launched its Abu Dhabi - Munich route in May 2004.
The inaugural flight was celebrated with a ceremonial reception and VIP dinner at the Beach Rotana Hotel Abu Dhabi on May 31 in the presence of H.E. Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan, Chairman of Civil Aviation Department in Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Etihad Airways and Jurgen Steltzer, the German Ambassador to the UAE.
Commenting on the Frankfurt flight launch, H.E. Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan, Chairman of Civil Aviation Department in Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Etihad Airways said, “The launch of this new route to Frankfurt marks yet another significant milestone since we launched the airline in 2003, further strengthening the bond between the UAE and Germany, with whom we have had a long standing relationship in terms of business and leisure travel,“ he continued, “We are confident that the launch of Etihad’s new route to Frankfurt will facilitate even more opportunities in investment, tourism and commerce. It also reflects our commitment to place our guests at the core of our development strategy by offering them greater flexibility and facilitating easier access for travel between the two major hubs.”
“The commencement of Etihad's direct operations to Munich and now Frankfurt will further strengthen the ties between our countries. Germany and the United Arab Emirates are strategic partners. I very much welcome this strategic move as it will especially encourage more German tourists to come to Abu Dhabi Emirate,” said Mr. Jurgen Steltzer, the German Ambassador to the UAE.
Germany is a very important strategic market for Etihad, for both inbound and outbound tourism. Bilateral trade between the UAE and Germany has doubled in the last five years and continues to grow in excess of 10 % per annum. In addition, the UAE is becoming increasingly popular as a holiday destination for German leisure tourists.
Etihad Airways, although a new arrival, already flies to 17 destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. The growing network now serves Amman, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Colombo, Damascus, Dammam, Geneva, Frankfurt, Karachi, London (Heathrow), London (Gatwick), Mumbai, Munich, New Delhi and Riyadh.
In addition to Etihad’s rapidly expanding international routes, the airline has also created Etihad Holidays in record time. Launched in May 2004, Etihad Holidays offers an array of over 170 hotels in more than 35 exciting holiday destinations in 14 countries – from vibrant bustling cities and picturesque, romantic beach resorts to cultural breaks and world renowned hotels.
Etihad’s focus is on doing things differently – reinventing the way an airline works, with the emphasis very much on creating new standards in hospitality. Etihad refers to passengers as ‘guests’ and has three ‘guest zones’ – Diamond, Pearl and Coral - rather than classes. These do not correspond directly to first, business and economy classes. Each zone provides a premium service, with quality and undivided attention emphasized.
