India plays a crucial role in Etihad Airways’ growth strategy, contributing significantly to the airline’s global operations, a top company official has said. Etihad began its operations in India in September 2004, with Mumbai being the first route in the country to be served by the Abu Dhabi-based carrier and today the city ranks highest in terms of total passengers the airline has carried over the years, with the number exceeding almost 3.5 million.
Marking Etihad’s 15-years of flying to India, Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airway’s Vice President, Indian Sub-continent, spoke about the airline’s unwavering commitment to the country over the last 15 years, which has thus resulted in the airlines becoming one of the most preferred airlines for travellers from India.
With Etihad operating 161 return flights per week between Abu Dhabi and 10 key Indian gateways of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and Thiruvanthapuram, the international carrier has optimised schedule of non-stop flights between the UAE and India, appealing to a greater number of point-to-point business and leisure passengers.
Etihad Airways celebrates 15 years of service in India
EtihadAirways pic.twitter.com/7le7oJYygg
— Mohamed Al Maeeni (@redbey) February 17, 2020
Etihad in India operates on strong commercial, cultural and historic relation.
Danny Barranger, Etihad Airway’s Senior Vice President Global Sales, added “Etihad Airways remains committed to its largest and busiest market, India. The UAE and India have shared strong commercial, cultural and historic relations and we will continue to honour these excellent trade and tourism ties through a closer partnership with our friends in the Indian travel trade”.
Building on the same partnership, Etihad has also introduced a fourth daily service to Mumbai last year. Delhi and Cochin rank second and third, with the airline carrying over 3.2 million and 2.3 million passengers on these routes, respectively over the years. Etihad has also added a fourth daily frequency on its Delhi-Abu Dhabi route.
