Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today announced the expansion of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight network with the deployment of the state-of-the-art aircraft on the Abu Dhabi - Zurich route.
From 6 July 2015, Etihad Airways will substitute the currently operated Airbus A330-300 aircraft used on the route with the three-class Dreamliner,featuring the airline'sground-breaking First Suite, Business Studio and Economy Smart Seat.
Etihad Airways' President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said that introducing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner to Zurich made logical sense as there has been a strong interest from Swiss travellersforthe airline's latest product.
"This strategic decision to deploy the Dreamliner demonstrates our clear commitment to the Swiss market.Travellers from Switzerland will soon be able to experience the unparalleled levels of comfort, entertainment and inflight connectivity of this next-generation aircraft, being seamlessly connected through the Abu Dhabi hub to our rapidly expanding network."
Etihad Airways' new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is configured to carry 235 passengers, with eight seats in First Class, 28 in Business Class and 199 in Economy Class, offering a total of 3,290 seats per weekon the Abu Dhabi-Zurich route.
In First Class, guests will be offered a luxurious suite with a large seat and ottoman, a personal wardrobe, chilled mini-bar and a 24-inch TV monitor. Business Class guests will enjoy the luxury and comfort of the airline's new Business Studios - each featuring a fully-flat bed of up to 80.5 inches long and a personal 18-inch touch screen TV with noise-cancelling headsets. In Economy Class, the comfortable Economy Smart Seat has been designed with a unique ergonomic fixed wing headrest on each seat.
Onboard décor and lightingis inspired by contemporary modern Arabian design, complementing the 'Facets of Abu Dhabi' design identity introduced by the airline in late 2014.
Etihad Airways' order for two variants of the B787 (-9 and -10), is one of the world's largest for the Dreamliner, totalling 71 aircraft.The airline currently operates the B787-9 to Brisbane, Washington DC, and from 1 August to Singapore -enabling guests to travel between Zurich and Singapore, via Abu Dhabi, on a Dreamliner all the way. More destinations will be added as the airline takes delivery of more of the type.
Etihad Airways flies daily to Zurich and provides seamless onwards connections to numerous points across Europe on the networks of airberlin, Niki, Alitalia, Air Serbia and Etihad Regional. The Zurich service also offers connectivity to over 40 destinations in the Gulf region, Africa, Indian Subcontinent, North and South East Asia, and Australia viaEtihad Airways' hub in Abu Dhabi.
Etihad Airways schedule for Zurich flights effective 6 July 2015:
Note: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time.
Images of Etihad Airways B787-9 Dreamliner and cabin interiors are available from the following link: http://we.tl/qVaannmps1
B-roll footage of Etihad Airways B787-9 Dreamliner is available to download at the following link: http://we.tl/UBd0g5soUy
-Ends-
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to 110 existing or announced passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 116 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200 aircraft on firm order, including 69 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777-X, 62 Airbus A350s and eight Airbus A380s.
Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Aer Lingus, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Etihad Regional, operated by Darwin Airline. Etihad Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways Partners, a new brand that brings together like-minded airlines to offer customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits.
For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com
For more information contact:
Asif Khan, Etihad Airways Corporate Communications
Dir: +971 (0) 2 511 1543
Mob: +971 50 812 1364
Email: AsifK@etihad.ae
© Press Release 2015
