Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is increasing capacity to Saudi Arabia with a third daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah from next month.

Etihad’s flights to the commercial capital of Saudi Arabia, launched in May 2006, are among the most popular of its regional services, enjoying high demand from the UAE and Etihad’s global network.

Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ chief strategy and planning officer, said: “I am delighted to build on the success of our Jeddah flights. This new service expands our operation to the kingdom and further strengthens the already strong historic relations and cultural ties between the two Arab states.

Etihad Airways’ third daily service between Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, which will commence on December 10, will be served with an Airbus A320 aircraft, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy. The existing double daily flights will be operated on two-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Etihad Airways currently operates nine daily flights across Saudi Arabia – including Dammam, Riyadh, Jeddah and Madinah. Recently, Etihad Airways expanded its presence in the kingdom through a new five-times-per-week codeshare between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi operated by codeshare partner flynas. – TradeArabia News Service