Etihad Enhances Johannesburg Schedule; Ends Cape Town

United Arab Emirates (UAE) flag carrier Etihad Airways is to introduce a revised operational schedule between Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg from January 24, 2012. The new flight timings will provide morning and evening departure options and will offer business and leisure passengers better flexibility and enhanced connection opportunities into the Indian Subcontinent and across North and South Asia.

“We believe this new schedule will open up a number of opportunities for our Johannesburg service and could eventually enable us to introduce a second daily flight,” said James Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways.

As part of the revised schedule, Etihad’s flights to Johannesburg will now terminate in the South African city rather than continuing on to Cape Town. The carrier said it is “examining other means” of serving the Cape Town market, and said it “already has in place” arrangements to offer passengers connections in partnership with local carriers.

Etihad launched flights between Abu Dhabi and Johannesburg in December 2005 and in the last six years has carried more than half a million passengers to and from South Africa. In the past year around 19,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route.