Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, has commenced non-stop daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Washington DC, creating the first direct air link between the two capitals.

The new service to Washington Dulles International Airport has been introduced to meet strong demand for government and business travel, as well as growing demand for leisure trips between and beyond the cities, a statement from the airline company said.

“Government and corporate customers in both markets have given us strong indication that the Abu Dhabi to Washington route can support a daily service from day one,” James Hogan, president and chief executive of Etihad Airways, said.

“We have confidently responded by committing 3,360 seats per week and already our forward bookings on the route are very encouraging in both directions,” Hogan said. “In addition, we will open a $6.8 million premium lounge this week in Terminal A at Dulles Airport to benefit our diamond first and pearl business class passengers.”

To date, Etihad Airways has carried almost two million passengers between Abu Dhabi and North America, achieving 12.6 per cent growth in passenger numbers last year.

Among the dignitaries attending the airline’s official launch functions in Washington this week are Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE ambassador to the United States; Michael Corbin, the US ambassador to the UAE; and Danny Sebright, president of the US-UAE Business Council.

In addition to providing much-needed flights between the capitals, the new services will also provide yet another international connection to Abu Dhabi International Airport, the statement said.

As part of its global hub strategy, Abu Dhabi Airport will open a new terminal in 2017 increasing the annual passenger capacity from the current 12.5 million to 30 million. Provision is also being made for further expansion to accommodate up to 60 million passengers per year. – TradeArabia News Service