UAE’s national carrier, Etihad Airways, will restart flights to Doha, Qatar following the lifting of a three-year blockade, the Abu Dhabi-based airline confirmed on Wednesday.

The flights will start from February 15, 2021 and will be operated daily using an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

“With ties between the UAE and Qatar restored, the restarting of passenger services between the two capitals will once again support the growth of trade and tourism between the two nations,” said Martin Drew, senior vice president for global sales and cargo at Etihad Aviation Group.

Etihad is the latest UAE-based carrier to announce the resumption of passenger services with the Gulf state after a breakthrough agreement that ended a three-year-old conflict.

The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt imposed an embargo on Qatar in 2017 that consequently shut down trade, travel and diplomatic links with the Gulf neighbor for about three years.

Gulf leaders agreed to end the impasse during a summit on January 5 in Saudi Arabia.

Some airlines in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE have already confirmed the resumption of flights. Budget carrier Air Arabia announced recently that it would start operating flights from Sharjah to Doha from January 18.

(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Seban Scaria)

Cleofe.maceda@refinitiv.com 

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