Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has launched a fifth weekly flight to Casablanca to mark the fifth anniversary of non-stop services between Abu Dhabi and the Moroccan city.

The airline commenced its operation to the commercial capital of Morocco in June 2006, and since then has carried more than 300,000 travellers and nearly 6.5 million tons of cargo on the route, a statement said.

“Our Casablanca operation has exceeded our expectations over the past five years, and we are pleased to be able to build on this success with an additional service,” said James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive officer.

“We remain committed to building sustainable ties in the North African region, and deepening the strong relationship between Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.”

Etihad currently operates a three-cabin Airbus A330-200 aircraft between Abu Dhabi and Casablanca, configured to carry 200 passengers – 10 in Diamond first class, 26 in Pearl business,  and 164 in Coral economy.

Moulay Hicham El Kadiri Boutchich, Etihad’s country manager for Morocco, said: "Etihad has enjoyed consistently high load factors across all cabins since the launch of services between Casablanca and Abu Dhabi in 2006 and we are very proud of that success.”

Etihad extended its codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc in September 2010, allowing Etihad passengers to travel from Casablanca to Agadir, Laayoune, Fez and Marrakech in Morocco, and Nouakchott in Mauritania and Dakar in Senegal. – TradeArabia News Service