Etihad
Airways , the
national airline of the United
Arab Emirates, has unveiled an ambitious expansion plan for 2025, adding 10
destinations across three continents, the highest number of new routes ever
revealed in a single day. including its first-ever flights to
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL). Part of the Gulf
carrier's rapid expansion program, this move will help fulfill its promise to
provide guests with a route map filled with their most sought-after
destinations.
Starting July 2,
2025, Etihad will operate four weekly flights between its hub at Abu Dhabi
International Airport (AUH) and Atlanta. The route will utilize the Airbus
A350-1000, showcasing Etihad's new premium business-class cabin with 44
lie-flat seats and 327 economy-class seats.
The addition of
Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic, marks Etihad's fifth
U.S. destination. It joins Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago
O’Hare International Airport (ORD), New York’s John F. Kennedy International
Airport (JFK), and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
According to The
Points Guy, travelers flying from Abu Dhabi to the U.S. will also benefit
from the airport's U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance
facility, allowing passengers to arrive as domestic travelers in the United
States.
In October, Arik
De, Etihad's chief revenue officer, hinted at the addition of a new American
city as part of an anticipated expansion involving 20 new destinations in 2025.
"We have a lot of growth coming," he said last month, suggesting that
the Gulf carrier expects to above and beyond its 2017 peak.
Etihad’s other newly
announced destinations for 2025 are:
- Taipei, Taiwan (September
7)
-
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia (October 3)
-
Medan, Indonesia (October
3)
-
Krabi, Thailand (October
9)
-
Tunis, Tunisia (November
1)
-
Hanoi, Vietnam (November
3)
-
Chiang Mai,
Thailand (November 3)
-
Hong Kong, China (November
3)
-
Algiers, Algeria (November
7)
The airline had
already announced its plans to add new routes to Warsaw, Poland; Prague, Czech
Republic; and El Alamein, Egypt to its network in June and July 2025.
The cornerstone of
this expansion is the Airbus A321LR, a long-range version of the A321neo, which
is capable of flying up to 4,600 miles. JetBlue uses the same aircraft on its
transatlantic routes, including nonstop flights from Boston and New York to six
European airports, TPG reported.
Arik De, Etihad's
chief revenue officer, emphasized the aircraft’s role in unlocking new markets.
“The A321LR will fly us to many places that the [Boeing] 777, 787, and A350s
are just a little too big for,” he explained. “Expect a lot of destinations — secondary
cities in Europe and Asia come into play.” The A321LR will feature an
all-aisle-access business-class cabin with lie-flat seats, which De described
as “best-in-class.”
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