Etihad Adds New European Summer Destinations

DALLAS - Starting at the end of March, the summer season in the northern hemisphere is approaching, and airlines begin rescheduling their services. Among them, Etihad Airways (EY) has announced new routes to Southern European cities from June 2023.

The main news is the new connection between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Lisbon (LIS), which will operate thrice weekly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays, starting on July 2, 2023. Departure and arrival times, as well as assigned aircraft, are yet undisclosed. However, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will likely be chosen.

Etihad varies its aircraft schedule constantly during the summer season, in order to adapt to the changing demand for seats on flights to Europe. Photo: Alberto Cucini/Airways.

CEO Comments

Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of EY, said, "As one of the oldest cities in Western Europe, the coastal city of Lisbon is a great entry-point to exploring the rest of the country, with perfect beaches, historic castles, fantastic nightlife, and a warm and welcoming people.

Our new direct connection will enhance the trade and tourism ties between the UAE and Portugal, and we are grateful for the support of the Portuguese authorities in establishing our new air link."

The three-weekly flights to LIS will increase the number of destinations served by EY to the Iberian Peninsula this summer to four. The airline also flies to Madrid (MAD), Barcelona (BCN), and Malaga (AGP), which will return to the network this summer as usual.

Spain And Greece, Also In The Schedule

"Miles-long sandy beaches, culture, food, restaurants, and entertainment" are some of the reasons stated by the airline for the reopening of the seasonal route to Malaga (AGP) and the launching of a new direct flight to Mykonos (JMK) from the second week of June 2023.

Etihad will fly to AGP twice per week, on Wednesdays and Sundays. The airline has yet to confirm if the route will be direct or if a stop in Madrid (MAD) will be needed as in previous years.

On the other hand, flights to JMK will be served on Mondays and Fridays. These will enhance tourism on the island and throughout Greece, with additional four-weekly flights to Athens (ATH) also planned to continue in summer. These services are expected to be made with smaller Airbus A320 family aircraft.

Finally, Etihad has also announced aircraft upgrades on flights to Madrid (MAD) and Barcelona (BCN). Usually operated by Boeing 787-9 aircraft, these will now switch to the larger, 336-seat 787-10 on isolated days of operations due to the increased demand in the summer months.

With these schedule changes, Etihad Airways will be offering customers almost 160 weekly flights to more than 20 destinations in Europe this summer, translating into a 20% increase in seat offers compared to 2022.

Featured image: Adrian Nowakowski/Airways.