As the UAE and Germany intensify bilateral cooperation following the visit of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to Germany this week, Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is celebrating 15 years of service to Germany.
The airline launched daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Munich in June 2004. Munich and the Swiss city of Geneva both received their first Etihad flights in that month, making them the first two destinations served by the airline in continental Europe.
One year later, in June 2005, Etihad commenced daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt. Then in December 2011, it commenced flights to Dusseldorf.
Today, Etihad Airways operates five times a day between Abu Dhabi and Germany – twice-daily to Frankfurt and Munich, and daily to Dusseldorf.
“Germany is a key destination in our global network,” said Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group. “We serve more destinations in Germany than any other country in Europe, and provide significant connections between Germany and many other destinations in our network, via our Abu Dhabi hub.”
“The Emirate of Abu Dhabi is focused on strong economic growth, and Etihad Airways is a key enabler of this development. Germany is a major contributor to both the growth of Etihad and the growth in Abu Dhabi.”
In addition to passenger services, Etihad also provides almost 1,800 tonnes of cargo capacity each week between Abu Dhabi and Germany, including three dedicated freighter flights. In the past decade, Etihad has carried more than 750,000 tonnes of cargo to and from Germany, including German exports such as automobiles, machinery, pharmaceuticals and garments.
In Abu Dhabi, Etihad connects its flights to and from Germany with destinations throughout Asia, the Indian sub-continent, Australia and the Middle East.
In addition to these services, Etihad has codeshare partnerships with Lufthansa German Airlines on flightslinking Frankfurt and Munich to a range of other European destinations, and deliver passengers to and from Germany on behalf of other codeshare partner airlines.
Last year, Etihad entered a codeshare with German rail services from Frankfurt to four key German cities – Leipzig, Nuremburg, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
The airline is increasing its deployment of new Boeing 787 Dreamliner around its global network, and will soon add more 787 aircraft in destinations including Germany.
