Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will operate its award-winning Airbus A380 between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai, India from May next year.
    
The Abu Dhabi-based airline’s 496-seat A380 features the only three-room suite in commercial aviation – The Residence by Etihad – as well as nine First Apartments, 70 Business Studios, and 415 Economy Smart Seats.

Beginning May 1, 2016 the aircraft will operate daily on flight EY204 from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai, and EY203 from Mumbai to Abu Dhabi, both of which carry the 9W code of Jet Airways, Etihad Airways’ strategic partner.

Guests on board Etihad Airways’ A380 service will also have access to popular connecting destinations over Abu Dhabi such as Chicago, San Francisco or Toronto in North America, and Bahrain, Doha or Jeddah in the Gulf region.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer, said: “The Etihad Airways A380 has set a new benchmark for luxury and innovation and we are delighted to announce that this world-class service will soon be available to guests flying to and from Mumbai.

“Furthermore, the A380 out of Mumbai will connect seamlessly at our Abu Dhabi hub to the A380 service to New York, offering our New York-bound guests the comfort, convenience and superior inflight service of A380 flights all the way.”

Devendra Fadnavis, Honourable chief minister of Maharashtra, welcomed the news, saying: “This announcement by Etihad Airways ‎is yet another sign of international confidence in the powerhouse economy of Maharashtra. I look forward to the growth in tourism and business that this service can bring to our state."

Etihad Airways’ thrice-daily service to Mumbai, in addition to Jet Airways’ double daily service, offers guests access to more than 2,000 weekly connections in 57 markets across the Gulf region, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America.

With a total capacity of 496 seats, the A380 has 50 per cent more seats than the Boeing B777-300ER it replaces, offering more options for tourism growth into India, US and Abu Dhabi. – TradeArabia News Service