Etihad Airways Expands Its India Network with Flights to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram

Etihad Airways, the flagship carrier of the United Arab Emirates, is set to enhance its connectivity to India with the introduction of new flight services to Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

The airline officially announced that these two new routes are scheduled to commence operations from January 1, 2024.

Etihad Airways, in collaboration with its sister concern Air Arabia, already operates a robust network of 232 weekly flights to 10 key gateways across India.

Salil Nath, Etihad’s India head, emphasized the significance of the Indian market for the airline to Financial Express, stating, “India is one of the largest and most crucial markets for Etihad. The airline has played a significant role in facilitating travel and trade between the UAE and India. Since its inception, our network planning has been pragmatic, strategically embracing new opportunities in response to the growing demand and development in the region.”

The expansion reflects Etihad’s consistent efforts to meet the increasing demand for air travel and trade between the two countries. The current network includes major cities such as Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram.

As of now, Etihad Airways has not fully utilized its bilateral weekly seat allocation to and from India. The airline still has 10,000 unutilized seats per week, operating only 40,000 out of the allocated 50,000 seats.

The resumption of the Kozhikode-Abu Dhabi Etihad service is a significant development, marking the end of a two-year hiatus. The suspension was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on operating wide-bodied aircraft. Previously, Etihad used to operate four daily services between Kozhikode and Abu Dhabi.

With the recent approval for flights with a capacity of up to 300 passengers to operate via Kozhikode airport, Etihad Airways is poised to take advantage of the growing demand in the region. The new schedule indicates that the flight departing from Abu Dhabi at 2:20 p.m. will reach Kozhikode International Airport by 7:05 p.m.

The Abu Dhabi-bound flight will take off from the airport at 9:30 p.m. and reach its destination by 12:05 a.m. Discussions are underway to introduce additional services on this route which will make Etihad Airlines more prominent in the Indian aviation market.