As travel restrictions for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) begin to gradually ease, Etihad Airways is beginning the process of resuming flights to 58 worldwide destinations from its Abu Dhabi hub-along with a stringent health and sanitization program in place.
In July and August-and subject to the lifting of international travel restrictions-the carrier is scheduled to resume service to destinations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.
"We are delighted to announce the gradual expansion of normal scheduled services to more cities across our global network," said Tony Douglas, group chief executive officer for Etihad Aviation Group. "The easing of restrictions on travel to and from the UAE is an important first step and a great development for Abu Dhabi. By August we aim to operate approximately 45 percent of our pre-COVID capacity.
The airline's incremental resumption of flights will include the introduction of Wellness Ambassadors, who will provide passengers with care, and health and safety information both in the air and on the ground.
"While we have continued to operate a schedule of special passenger, cargo and humanitarian flights over the last few months, the priority is now to build the network back up on markets that have opened up, and to provide a secure and hygienic flying environment across the entire guest journey," Douglas said.
Etihad's summer schedule, which is subject to government approval, will offer a broader network of flights in North America, including Chicago, New York-JFK, Washington, D.C. and Toronto.
In Europe, the airline is set to expand its reach to Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Belgrade, Brussels, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Istanbul, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome and Zurich.
In the Middle East, destinations will include Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, Cairo, Casablanca, Kuwait, Muscat, Rabat, Riyadh and Seychelles.
Etihad is also scheduled to broaden its service to Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; and such Asian destinations as Bangkok, Chennai, Colombo, Delhi, Islamabad, Jakarta, Karachi, Kochi, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Lahore, Male, Manila, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo.
In March, Etihad temporarily suspended transit travel through its main hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
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