Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will add more seats between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne by introducing a Boeing 777-300ER to the route.

The larger aircraft, to start operating from December 1, will offer 328 seats in a three-class configuration - 36 more than the Airbus A340-600 which is currently flying the Abu Dhabi-Melbourne sector.

Etihad Airways' President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said the introduction of the larger aircraft reflected the importance to Etihad Airways of the Australian market and Melbourne in particular.

"Etihad Airways' Melbourne-Abu Dhabi flights are some of the strongest performers in our network - this year load factors between the two cities have averaged more than 80 per cent.

"Switching to the Boeing 777 gives us 12 per cent more seats overall and 25 per cent more in business class. This will enable us to increase our share of the corporate and leisure travel market between Australia and Abu Dhabi and beyond to our worldwide network."

Mr Hogan said the introduction of a larger aircraft also presented a growth opportunity for the airline's highly successful cargo division, Etihad Cargo.

"The Boeing 777 offers a bellyhold cargo capacity of around 14-16 tonnes which allows us to capitalise on Australia's strong trading relationship with the United Arab Emirates.

"The United Arab Emirates is Australia's largest trading partner in the Middle East and, last year, two-way merchandise trade between Australia and the UAE was worth around $5.13 billion."

The three-class Boeing 777-300ER has eight seats in Diamond First Class, 40 in Pearl Business Class, and 280 in Coral Economy Class.

Etihad Airways commenced flights between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne in 2009.

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About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, began operations in 2003, and in 2012 carried 10.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad Airways offers flights to 97 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas, with a fleet of 86 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and over 220 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, 25 Boeing 777-X, 62 Airbus A350s, and 10 Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger aircraft. Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia, Aer Lingus and Jet Airways.  Subject to regulatory approval, Etihad Airways will launch a new airline brand in Q1 2014, Etihad Regional, after taking a 33.3 per cent stake in Swiss carrier Darwin Airline. The airline will also acquire 49 per cent of Air Serbia from January 2014.  For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com

For more information contact:
Stephen Mahoney, Etihad Airways Corporate Communications
Mobile:            +61 488 125 538
Email:  smahoney@etihad.ae

© Press Release 2013