It's becoming almost commonplace. Etihad has once again announced the opening of five new destinations. Since November 1, the carrier has landed three times a week in Tunis from Abu Dhabi (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday); five times a week in Hanoi (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and twice on Sunday); four times a week in Chiang Mai, Thailand (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday); five times a week in Hong Kong (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday); and five times a week in Medina, Saudi Arabia (Tuesday to Saturday).
Hong Kong particularly important in the Etihad network
Etihad's return to Hong Kong - the route having been suspended with the Covid crisis - was an opportunity for the airline to sign a partnership agreement with local carrier Hong Kong Airlines.
In the wake of its return to the former British colony, the two airlines have finalised an agreement enabling Hong Kong Airlines to use its code on Etihad flights. While Etihad can place its EY code on the Hong Kong carrier's routes to Fukuoka, Hokkaido-Sapporo, Osaka and Okinawa. Members of both carriers' frequent flyer programmes can use each other's codes on partner flights.
Etihad serves Hong Kong with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The latter is equipped with 28 seats in Business Class and 262 seats in Economy Class.
In total, the five new routes bring Etihad's network to over 85 destinations. And at this rate, it is likely that the airline will reach the magic threshold of 100 destinations by 2026. This growth is largely due to the introduction of the Airbus A321XLR. The long-haul single-aisle jet will make it possible to serve routes where demand is lower, such as Tunis, Chiang Mai and Phnom Penh.
According to the airline's management, this year Etihad will have contributed to increasing its market share in the United Arab Emirates to 45%. Between January and the end of September, the Abu Dhabi carrier carried 16.1 million passengers. This represents an increase of 18% compared with 2024. The aim is to exceed 21.5 million by the end of the year.
