ETW Staff– Mumbai
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced that Mumbai and New Delhi will become its first destinations in India to be served with triple-daily flights, strengthening its offering with Jet Airways into and out of the country.
Both cities will be upgraded from their current double-daily frequencies, with the third daily flight to Mumbai starting on February 15, 2015 and to New Delhi on May 1, 2015. The development will provide business and leisure travellers with more options throughout the day between the UAE and India, and enhance India’s connections with markets across Etihad Airways’ global network.
James Hogan, president and chief executive officer, Etihad Airways, said, “India is expected to become the world’s third largest air passenger market within the next 20 years, and we are focused on providing travellers with the best possible offering into and out of the country, in terms of world-class service, extensive network coverage and multiple flight options each day. Already in the first half of 2014, more than 620,000 passengers flew on our India services, a substantial increase of 51 per cent year-on-year. The launch of triple-daily services to Mumbai and New Delhi, our most popular routes in India, will allow us to meet growing market demand.”
Etihad Airways will also launch a daily service to Kolkata, capital of West Bengal, on February 15, 2015 to support its long-term development plan in India, and Jet Airways has announced it will soon launch daily services between Abu Dhabi and Goa, Lucknow and Pune.
