Etihad Airways will fly thrice-a-week from Abu Dhabi to Singapore starting from September.

Singapore will be the airline's fifth destination in the Far East after Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, said an Etihad Airways spokesman.

The announcement came a day after the launch of the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Business Forum (ADSBF), which is aimed at boosting ties between the two cities.

Bilateral ties between the UAE and Singapore continue to develop, with trade totalling Dh27.9 billion ($7.59 billion) in 2006, compared with Dh24.8 billion in 2004. The UAE was the second largest Middle East investor in Singapore in 2006.

Etihad Airways chief executive James Hogan said the new service will cater to the growing demand for air travel between the UAE and Singapore by business and leisure travellers, which is growing year-on-year.

'The new service demonstrates Etihad's ambitions to provide our customers with flights to the world's top destinations, and the creation of the ADSBF will also benefit the airline greatly with the increasing commercial co-operation between Singapore and Abu Dhabi,' Hogan was quoted as saying in The Gulf News.

Etihad will operate a two cabin Airbus A330-200 between Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

Flight details and schedule for the new Abu Dhabi- Singapore service will be confirmed following final discussions between Etihad and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, he said.