Etihad Airways' latest Boeing superjumbo 787 Dreamliner route was launched on Sunday with the state-of-the art aircraft touching down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Riyadh becomes Etihad Airways’ newest 787 destination this year following the induction of the aircraft on flights to Perth, Düsseldorf and Shanghai, with Abu Dhabi to Johannesburg set to become a Dreamliner route on November 1. Etihad Airways’ current fleet of nine B787s also operates to Singapore, Washington DC, Brisbane and Zurich.
The Dreamliner offers more seats and features the airline’s award-winning interiors in a two-class configuration – 28 business studios, each providing aisle access and equipped with an in-seat massage and air cushion control system, and 271 economy smart seats with unique “fixed wing” headrests. The aircraft operates on one of the twice-daily flights between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Khalid International Airport.
“Since its launch in 2004, the route has seen consistently strong passenger growth, and to date, we have carried more than 2.5 million guests between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways vice president UAE and GCC commercial. “Etihad Airways’ decision to offer additional capacity on this important route will undoubtedly be well received in the market. Linking the two capitals of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with the Boeing 787 further underscores the importance of Riyadh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to our operations.”
The new Abu Dhabi to Riyadh route will be deployed as EY317, leaving the capital at 10:15 and arriving in Riyadh at 11:15. The EY318 return leaves Riyadh at 16:25, landing in Abu Dhabi at 19:10.
Etihad Airways’ flights to Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina and Dammam are complemented by Saudi codeshare partner flynas, whose dedicated services between Abu Dhabi and both Riyadh and Jeddah provide travellers with even more choice.
Etihad currently operates 14 weekly non-stop flights to and from Riyadh; 21 weekly services to Jeddah; 21 weekly flights to Dammam, in addition to a daily operation to Medina. Other 787 Dreamliner routes in Etihad Airways’ global network, include Shanghai, Singapore, Perth and Brisbane. From December 1, Etihad will operate a Dreamliner on the Abu Dhabi to Tokyo route.
chnelson@thenational.ae
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