Etihad Airways today announced the launch of non-stop daily flights to Washington, D.C., the airline’s fourth destination in North America, from March 31 2013, subject to regulatory approvals. The Washington region is North America’s second largest Middle East travel market, after New York for Etihad.James Hogan, Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “No other UAE carrier is offering nonstop services between D.C. and the UAE, so this capital-to-capital link is a huge opportunity for Etihad Airways.”
Last week, the US Department of Commerce released data showing that total trade volume between the US and the UAE rose to $18.3 billion in 2011, a 43 per cent increase from the year before.
This increase represents the highest trade volume to date between the US and UAE. It also means that, for the third consecutive year, the UAE is the single largest export market for US goods in the Middle East. The US is the fifth largest trade partner worldwide for the UAE.
Hogan added: “The point-to-point traffic between D.C. and Abu Dhabi is expected to contribute significantly to overall loads on the route. The schedule also allows maximum connectivity to key markets in the GCC, Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia.
“The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area ranks as one of the strongest-performing economies in the country. Demand for premium cabins from the market is significantly higher than from other potential US destinations, so we forecast that our award-winning Diamond First class and Pearl Business class will be very popular.
“A large and fast-growing population in the D.C. metro area, coupled with increasing ties to the UAE, means that the demand for travel across all cabins will only increase.”
In the Washington region, there are a number of organizations having presence in the UAE. Among the companies are The Carlyle Group, Hilton International, Lockheed Martin and Children’s National Medical Center. The Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is scheduled to open late 2012. New York University, has an Abu Dhabi campus.
John E. Potter, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority President and Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We congratulate Etihad Airways on this announcement. We are looking forward to welcoming them to our region, and we thank them for recognizing Washington Dulles International Airport as an integral part of the global aviation system.”
The direct flights will be operated by a three class A340-500 aircraft. Each flight will offer 12 first class, 28 business class and 200 economy seats, for a total 3,360 seats per week.
Etihad Cargo will offer cargo capacity on services to D.C., with an anticipated load of 140 tonnes per week. The new route will complement existing online and connecting interline cargo services to and from North America.
Proposed flight schedule:
| EY131 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 10.00am | Washington Dulles (IAD) | 5.00pm | Daily | 15hr |
| EY130 | Washington Dulles (IAD) | 10.30pm | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 8.00pm (+1) | Daily | 13hr 30min |
Source: Etihad Airways