This enhancement to the airline’s Sydney schedule comes with the move by strategic partner Virgin Australia to shift its Australia to Abu Dhabi operations from Sydney to Perth from 9 June 2017. Expanding the codeshare agreement, Etihad Airways will add its EY code to Virgin Australia’s new three weekly Perth-Abu Dhabi flights. The combined impact of the additional Sydney capacity and new codeshare with Virgin Australia is an increase in the UAE flag carrier’s Australian footprint from a total of 42 to 45 weekly flights.
To maintain schedule continuity, Etihad Airways will operate its three new weekly Sydney services at the same timings as Virgin Australia’s current Sydney-Abu Dhabi flights, on which Etihad Airways has placed its EY code since they began in February 2011. Etihad Airways’ Chief Executive Officer, Peter Baumgartner, said: “Australia is a critical part of our network, and we will continue to add capacity in order to meet the growing two-way demand for business and leisure travel.
“The allocation of our newest equipment, the A380 and B787, to all four Australian gateways, and investment of our next-generation product and service offering demonstrate our commitment to this highly competitive market.”
Baumgartner added, “From mid-2017, business and leisure travellers on the Perth route will enjoy the convenience of 10 weekly non-stop flights to our Abu Dhabi hub and seamless connectivity to more than 55 cities across Etihad Airways’ global network.”
The additional Sydney flights will be operated by a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, the aircraft type operating the current EY450/451 pattern. The aircraft is configured with eight seats in First Class, 40 in Business Class and 280 in Economy Class.
Schedule for Abu Dhabi - Sydney, effective 6 February 2017
| Flight no. | Origin | Departs | Destination | Arrives | Aircraft |
| EY454 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 10:15pm | Sydney (SYD) | 7:15pm, next day | A380 |
| EY455 | Sydney (SYD) | 9:50pm | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 5:40am, next day | A380 |
| EY450 | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 9:25am | Sydney (SYD) | 6:15am, next day1 | B777-300ER |
| EY451 | Sydney (SYD) | 4:20pm | Abu Dhabi (AUH) | 11:55pm | B777-300ER |
*All departures and arrivals are listed in local time.
