Etihad to launch third daily flight to Bengaluru

The new service will be operated by a two-class Airbus A321 aircraft

by Aarti Nagraj

February 1, 2017

Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways has announced plans to launch a third daily flight to the Indian city of Bengaluru from March 26, 2017.

Flight EY 216 will depart Abu Dhabi at 9.45pm and arrive in Bengaluru at 3.15am the next day. The return flight EY 217 will leave the Indian city at 4.35am and arrive in the UAE capital at 7.05am.

The new service will be operated by a two-class Airbus A321 aircraft.

The schedule provides additional online connectivity to and from a number of destinations, including Doha, Jeddah, London, Dublin, New York and Dallas, Etihad said in a statement.

Increased capacity on the route will also provide greater choice to local passengers travelling between the two cities, it added.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways CEO, said: “Our expanded services between Abu Dhabi and Bengaluru are in line with Etihad Airways’ strategy to offer greater travel options when aircraft availability and market conditions permit.

“The extra flights to Bengaluru will cater to the strong demand between both cities, and bring closer our global network to and from Bengaluru over our Abu Dhabi hub.”

Etihad first launched flights to Bengaluru, capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, in January 2011 with four services a week, rising to daily two months later.

It has since grown capacity with additional frequencies and aircraft upgrades to its current double daily operation.

More than 700,000 guests have been flown on the route over the past six years, the airline said.

Etihad’s equity partner carrier Jet Airways will codeshare on Etihad’s new Bengaluru service, and also offer connectivity from Bengaluru to destinations across India.

The Abu Dhabi airline, which has been hit hard by the oil price slump, is continuing to expand operations even as it undertakes a major restructuring.

Last month, Etihad announced that group president and CEO James Hogan and CFO James Rigney will step down from their roles in the second half of 2017.

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