Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced today that it will commence operations to Toronto via Brussels with three direct weekly flights starting from October this year. Etihad’s guests will be able to book tickets online from the end of July 2005 at www.etihad.ae
“We are looking forward to our first trans-Atlantic flight to North America after only two years of operations. Our flight to Canada will be a launch pad for our services to the USA in summer 2006,” said Ian Ferguson Brown, Etihad’s Head of Communications. “This new operation reflects our commitment to place guests’ needs at the core of our strategic development, especially with regard to destination selection criteria. Currently, there are no direct flights from the UAE to Canada, so this route new will provide our guests with greater flexibility when traveling to Europe and North America.”
The new route to Toronto via Brussels is expected to significantly enhance the link between the UAE, Europe and Canada, providing even more opportunities for business and tourism.
Bilateral trade between Canada and the UAE is expected to double this year. The Canadian Business Council (CBC) in Abu Dhabi was launched in March 2005, paving the way for even more Canadian companies to continue investing and expanding operations in the UAE, especially in the energy, environment, infrastructure, and health sectors.
The launch of this new destination supports one of Etihad’s key goals of offering the people of Abu Dhabi and the UAE access to as many of the world’s capitals as possible and ensuring Abu Dhabi’s role as a hub between East and West, North and South. Etihad hopes to add New York as a destination in 2006.
Etihad Airways, although a new arrival, now flies to 17 destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. The growing network now serves Amman, Bahrain, Bangkok, Beirut, Cairo, Colombo, Damascus, Dammam, Geneva, Frankfurt, Karachi, London (Heathrow), London (Gatwick), Mumbai, Munich, New Delhi and Riyadh.
In addition to Etihad’s rapidly expanding international routes, the airline has also created Etihad Holidays in record time. Launched in May 2004, Etihad Holidays offers an array of over 170 hotels in more than 35 exciting holiday destinations in 14 countries – from vibrant bustling cities and picturesque, romantic beach resorts to cultural breaks and world renowned hotels.
Etihad’s focus is on doing things differently – reinventing the way an airline works, with the emphasis very much on creating new standards in hospitality. Etihad refers to passengers as ‘guests’ and has three ‘guest zones’ – Diamond, Pearl and Coral - rather than classes. Each zone provides a premium service, with quality and undivided attention emphasized.
