Etihad Airways inaugurates Abu...

Inaugural flight EY868 departed from the UAE to China this month

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has successfully launched its scheduled flights linking Abu Dhabi and Guangzhou, China.

The inaugural flight, EY868, departed on 10 October after a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by representatives from the Chinese Embassy to the UAE, Abu Dhabi Airports Company, Miral Asset Management and Etihad Aviation Group.

The flight touched down at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on 11 October at 10:25 (local time), making Etihad the first international airline to operate long-haul passenger services to the top three Chinese gateways: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou – since the start of the pandemic.

The twice-weekly service will be operated by a two-class Boeing 777.

Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Tony Douglas said: “We have been tremendously excited about the launch of this service. Guangzhou is actually the latest destination to open in China by Etihad since the launch of the Abu Dhabi-Shanghai route back in 2012. It will continue to help build a solid air bridge for commerce and cultural exchanges between China and the UAE.

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Douglas added: “We are very grateful for the support from both governments, business partners and our Etihad team, as our new service to Guangzhou will not only further address the huge demand for passenger travel between the UAE and China, building on the formidable people and business ties between the two markets, but also support the increasing consolidation and strengthening of Etihad's presence in China and the global aviation industry. It also reinforces the airline’s commitment to serving the Chinese market.”

The new route grows Etihad’s network to 67 destinations across 45 countries.

For more information, visit www.etihad.com