Etihad Regional, operated by Darwin Airline, has started a four times per week service from its hub in Geneva, Switzerland to Stuttgart, the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany.

The inaugural flight F7260 was operated by Etihad Regional’s branded 50-seat Saab 2000 aircraft, arrived at Stuttgart Airport.

Maurizio Merlo, chief executive officer of Darwin Airline, said: “We are proud to be the first airline to offer a direct air link between Geneva and Stuttgart. The new route is the first after the re-branding of Darwin Airline and the 16th year-round destination on our network.

“The new Stuttgart service extends our geographic presence in the German market. The move will create significant benefits for our business and leisure passengers, as well as strengthen the already strong trade and leisure ties between Switzerland and Germany.

“More importantly, the new service demonstrates our strategy to continue building a strong regional airline linking European cities and towns, which also connect to the global network of our partners, Etihad Airways, airberlin and Air Serbia.”

Georg Fundel, chief executive officer of Stuttgart Airport, said: “We are delighted that Etihad Regional has commenced operations here, which will boost the regional economy, and offer the airline’s passengers a convenient new entry point to Germany through our modern and efficient facility.”

According to a press release by the Abu Dhabi based air carrier, the flights have been introduced to serve the point-to-point market and provide connectivity beyond the Geneva hub to numerous key destinations across Europe, including Cambridge, Valencia, Rome, Lugano, Florence, Toulouse (planned for April 2014), Belgrade and Zurich (planned for May 2014), and Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes and Verona (planned for June 2014).

Etihad Regional operates to 16 destinations in Europe with a fleet of 10 Saab 2000 turboprop aircraft. By mid-2014, plans to increase it to 34 destinations, to include Biarritz in France, the Spanish island of Ibiza and Cagliari in Sardinia and destinations.