Etihad Airways, the national airline of UAE, will commence operations to Malé, the capital of Maldives, on November 1, making it the 67th destination on the airline’s global network.

Etihad will operate a daily return service from Kuwait via its home base in Abu Dhabi to Malé International Airport, operating Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, configured with two cabins and offering 1,904 seats each week, a statement from the airline company said.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ CEO, said:  "Malé is a gateway to the premium leisure destination, the Maldive Islands, and given the strong increase in visitation numbers we are seeing in the market, the time is right to launch services to this popular holiday destination.”

Hogan said that the commencement of the services in November was perfectly timed to coincide with the start of the busy Northern winter period.

“We expect the services will appeal to the Kuwaiti leisure travellers, as well as customers from our major European markets, particularly with the strong connectivity options on offer and following the additional frequencies that will come online on a number of our key European routes this summer,” he added.

“Etihad’s schedule, which offers an attractive afternoon arrival and evening departure, has been carefully designed to offer customers maximum leisure time at their destination. European travellers can take advantage of our overnight flights in both directions, offering them a full extra day in the Maldives,” Hogan said.

The Maldives is made up of close to 1,200 islands grouped into natural atolls, including 200 inhabited islands and 97 resort islands, with a population of close to 300,000. The region features deep blue seas, sandy beaches and turquoise reefs, and with its tropical climate and warm temperatures year round, is a renowned honeymoon and leisure destination, the statement said.

Etihad Holidays has special packages offering a wide range of experiences for all budgets, including tailored packages for honeymooners, families, sun worshippers and divers. The packages include flights, hotel accommodation and island transfers, it said.

Etihad Guest Members who book early and fly during the first 30 days of operation will be rewarded with twice as many Etihad Guest Miles. – TradeArabia News Service