Etihad Airways has commenced major expansion of its Indian operations following the approval of an historic 24 per cent investment in Jet Airways.
Central to the Etihad Airways plan is the use of Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, as a global hub connecting international passengers and freight with flights to and from India.
Pending the opening of a new facility, United States-bound passengers will be able to clear US immigration and customs at Abu Dhabi Airport.
The first stage of the Etihad Airways strategy includes additional flights or the introduction of larger aircraft on existing routes to India.
The initial flight increases by Etihad Airways are:
•Mumbai and New Delhi: 7 to 14 flights per week (immediate)
•Kochi: 7 to 14 flights per week (June 2014)
•Bangalore and Chennai: 7 to 14 flights per week (July 2014)
•Hyderabad: 7 to 14 flights per week (October 2014)
As well as more flights, Etihad Airways is introducing larger aircraft in some markets.
On the Abu Dhabi-Mumbai and Abu Dhabi – New Delhi routes, evening flights with narrow-bodied Airbus A320s have been upgraded to wide-bodied Airbus A340 and A330 jets. On the Mumbai services, this includes introduction of First Class cabins on the evening A340 flights.
