Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will double its flights between Abu Dhabi and New York city, introducing a second daily service from March 1.

Flight EY103 will depart Abu Dhabi International Airport at 1.45 am, arriving at New York’s John F Kennedy Airport at 7.45 am the same day, while the return flight, EY102, will leave New York at 11.35 am, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 9.20 am the next day.

The new flights will complement the airline’s current 10.30 am departure to New York.

Initially, the new flights will be operated by Etihad Airways using two tri-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft leased from its strategic partner, India’s Jet Airways. From May 1, Jet Airways will operate these flights.

The second New York service will increase substantially the connections available via the Abu Dhabi Airport hub, with the schedule designed to link in both directions with Etihad Airways and partner airline flights between Abu Dhabi and more than 30 destinations in India, the Middle East, Central and South East Asia, Africa and island nations in the Indian Ocean region.

Beyond New York, guests also will be able to connect in both directions with destinations throughout the US and in Canada and Mexico.

“New York City is one of the most popular destinations in our network, not only for guests flying from Abu Dhabi but also for business, leisure and family travellers from a wide range of connecting destinations,” said James Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways.  

“These services will provide greater access to New York City for travellers from Abu Dhabi and further evidence of the importance of Abu Dhabi as a global air transport hub,” Hogan said.

Etihad Airways recently announced plans to commence services to two new US destinations, Los Angeles daily from June 2014 and Dallas-Fort Worth three times a week from December 2014.

The airline also flies daily between Abu Dhabi and both Washington, D.C. and Chicago. – TradeArabia News Service