Etihad to increase Colombo flights
Etihad Airways has announced plans to substantially increase and
upgrade services to key cities in the Indian subcontinent.
Starting from January 1, 2013, flights to the southern Indian city of
Kozhikode will more than double, increasing from three to seven a week,
the carrier said in a statement.
The Sri Lankan capital of Colombo will also be serviced by daily
flights when services increase from four to seven per week starting from
January 2, it said.
In October, Etihad, Abu Dhabi's flag carrier which has expanded
globally through stake purchases in firms such as Air Berlin and Virgin
Australia, said it was looking to extend its geographical reach to India
and other Asian markets.
The increases will coincide with the re-introduction of the Pearl
Business class product on both routes to cater for the growing business
and corporate demand and high-end leisure traffic.
The airline said the additional services will be operated by Airbus
A320 aircraft and will almost double the capacity on both routes.
Etihad Airways' President and CEO, James Hogan said, "India and Sri
Lanka are important destinations for us due to strong local demand and
growing traffic beyond Abu Dhabi to many key destinations across our
global network.
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