Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, and Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) celebrated the introduction of a second daily flight between Abu Dhabi and the Italian capital, Rome.

The inauguration ceremony took place at the innovative E boarding area for international flights at Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport Fiumicino.
 
Flight EY 85 was greeted with a welcoming cake cutting ceremony by representatives of Etihad Airways and AdR upon arrival in Rome Fiumicino.
 
Antontella Cataldi, Etihad Airways general manager Italy, said: “We are extremely proud of having increased the number of flights that connect Rome with our Abu Dhabi hub. Our additional flights demonstrate the importance of the strong economic ties between the UAE and Italy, and our continued support for the growth of bilateral trade between both countries. This will also make a positive contribution to the tourism industry in Italy and the UAE, offering greater choice to our business and leisure guests travelling between the two countries.”
 
“We are pleased to welcome the launch of Etihad Airways’ second daily flight from Abu Dhabi to Rome Fiumicino,” added Federico Scriboni, head of Airline Traffic Development of AdR. “This reinforces the presence of the airline in Rome, highlighting the strategic role played by the Roman market, and caters to the demand for destinations not currently served directly from Rome, such as Australia, which are now accessible seamlessly via Abu Dhabi. Leonardo da Vinci is becoming an increasingly popular gateway, renowned for its excellent services, and boasting a large number of the world’s major international airlines.”
 
Flights on the Abu Dhabi – Rome Fiumicino route will be operated by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft – equipped with 28 Business Class and 384 Economy Class seats – and Airbus A330-200 aircraft – featuring 22 Business Class and 240 Economy Class seats.
 
Alitalia continues its codeshare partnership with Etihad and will also place its code on the new Etihad flights.
 
Etihad Airways commenced operations to Italy in September 2007 with the introduction of the daily service between Abu Dhabi and Milan Malpensa and added a daily service to Rome Fiumicino to its route network in 2014.  - TradeArabia News Service