ETIHAD Airways has launched non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Sao Paulo, Brazil, the airline’s first destination in South America. The new service marks Etihad Airways’ entry into its sixth continent and an important move in increasing its presence across BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China).
The new flights mark the airline’s commercial entry into Brazil, though the company has long-standing ties to the country. The company operates an Airbus A340-500 aircraft to Sao Paulo, seating a total of 240 passengers across three cabins – 12 in Diamond First, 28 Pearl Business and 200 Coral Economy class seats.
The Etihad Airways has also increased frequencies on services to Amman, Cairo, Islamabad and Muscat aiming to provide a seamless travel experience for passengers from across the region who can take advantage of Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading global hub, and the airline’s expanding network of long and ultra-long haul flights.
Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said: “As we add breadth, depth and scale to the airline’s expanding global route network, Etihad Airways will continue offering its guests significantly improved connection opportunities through our Abu Dhabi home base.”
Services to Muscat will increase from 20 to 23 weekly flights, better linking the Omani capital with Etihad Airways’ North Asian network and some key world destinations, such as Japan, China and South Korea. In addition, Etihad Airways is adding four overnight flights per week to its double-daily operations to and from Amman. Flights to Cairo will increase from the current 18-weekly services to three times a day and Pakistan’s Islamabad will see flights increase from seven to nine per week.
Knight added: “We’re not just improving the quantity of flights, but importantly, also the quality of connections to and from the Middle Eastern and Indian subcontinent capitals, offering seamless connectivity between key strategic cities across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Americas, and the GCC region.”
The airline also recently launched a meet and greet service for guests arriving on Etihad Airways flights at Abu Dhabi International Airport.