Etihad to add more flights between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, will start daily A380 services between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne on 1 June 2016. The flagship superjumbo will operate flights EY460/461, one of the airline’s twice-daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne services. It will replace one of the three-class Boeing 777-300ER aircraft currently deployed on the route. It will also bring to Melbourne The Residence by Etihad, the airline’s private three-room suite in the sky, as well as ground-breaking product and service innovations in all cabins.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “From June next year, guests on our Abu Dhabi-Melbourne A380 flights will discover what travellers the world over are talking about – the superior level of luxury, comfort, service, and inflight technology that is redefining luxury air travel and transforming the flying experience. What’s more, the A380 service from Melbourne will connect seamlessly in Abu Dhabi to the A380 to London, offering our London-bound guests the convenience and class-leading comfort of an all-A380 service all the way.”

The new A380 will increase the total number of two-way seats on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route by 26%, to more than 11,500 seats per week.

Hogan added: “Melbourne is an important point on our global network, and our Abu Dhabi to Melbourne services continue to generate very high seat load factors on a year round basis. After just three months of operations, demand for our second daily service is already exceeding our expectations.

“Deploying the 496-seat A380 to Melbourne will enable us to accelerate our growth in the Victorian market by providing additional capacity, particularly in business class, where demand for seats continually outstrips supply.”

Victorian Minister for Tourism and Major Events, The Honourable John Eren, MP, said: “Etihad’s decision is good news for Victoria’s visitor economy and further proof we’re headed in the right direction. It means more visitors from all over the world will see for themselves everything we offer.

“Victoria has a positive relationship with Etihad Airways and, through our partnership marketing efforts in the key markets of UK and Europe, more visitors can experience Melbourne and regional Victoria's award-winning tourism attractions and nature-based experiences."

Within Australia and to New Zealand, Etihad Airways codeshares on Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand flights from Melbourne to Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Christchurch, Coffs Harbour, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Mildura, Newcastle, Perth, Queenstown, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, and Wellington.

Etihad Airways commenced services to Melbourne on 29 March 2009. It added a second daily service to the route on 1 August 2015. It is the only airline offering double daily non-stop services between Melbourne and the UAE.

The airline has strong ties to Melbourne and the state of Victoria through partnerships with Etihad Stadium, Melbourne City Football Club, Sport Australia Hall of Fame, Melbourne Recital Centre and the Islamic Museum of Australia.

The daily flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, effective 1 June 2016:

Flight no.	Origin	Dest	Dep	Arrive	Aircraft	Freq
EY460	Abu Dhabi	Melbourne	21:45	17:20+1	A380	Daily
EY461	Melbourne	Abu Dhabi	22:40	06:45+1	A380	Daily
EY462	Abu Dhabi	Melbourne	10:30	06:05+1	B777	Daily
EY463	Melbourne	Abu Dhabi	15:00	23:05	B777	Daily

Note: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time. 

Interested?

Read the WorkSmart Asia blog post on Etihad's boutique hotel flight experience