Etihad Boosts Links to Dammam and Kuwait

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will substantially boost its Middle Eastern operations next month with the addition of new flights to both Kuwait and Dammam. From April 1, 2012 the carrier will increase the frequency of its Abu Dhabi – Kuwait route from 21 to 25 flights per week, and Abu Dhabi - Dammam service from 13 to 16 flights per week, subject to regulatory approval. The additional services will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration, and will increase capacity by approximately 20 per cent across both routes.

The timing of the new services will provide greater access for business travellers to explore commercial opportunities in the two cities and passengers travelling between Abu Dhabi and Kuwait will now be able to take advantage of an evening departure. These flights will also enable greater network connectivity with enhanced transfer options at Abu Dhabi International Airport to other destinations in the rest of the Middle East, and across Asia, Europe and North America.

“Kuwait and Dammam are important strategic destinations for us due to the established cultural and commercial ties between the UAE and both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,” said James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways. “The additional flights will open new horizons for commercial activities in both cities and will further strengthen our Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) network.

Etihad Airways launched services to Kuwait in July 2006 and an estimated 123,000 O&D passengers travelled between the city and Abu Dhabi in the past year, a route also served by Kuwait Airways on a weekly basis. This is around 9.3 per cent of the total O&D traffic between Kuwait and UAE, a market controlled by flydubai (26.2 per cent), Kuwait Airways (17.5 per cent), Jazeera Airways (17.2 per cent) and Emirates Airline (17.0 per cent).

Dammam is one of three destinations that Etihad Airways serves in Saudi Arabia. It launched flights to the city in December 2004 and currently operates the route in partnership with Saudi Arabian Airlines. In the past year an estimated 18,000 O&D passengers travelled between Abu Dhabi and Dammam, up 18.4 per cent on the previous year.