Etihad Airways, national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, began offering nonstop flights between Washington and Abu Dhabi this week.
Saying that the the capital of the United Arab Emirates is "one of the fastest-growing trade and tourism destinations in the world," the airline said that the new daily service from Washington Dulles was introduced to meet demand for government and business travel between the two capitals.
“The UAE is one of the most important political and trade partners of the United States, and this is the first nonstop flight between the two cities,” Etihad CEO James Hogan said in a statement.
“Government and corporate customers have given us strong indications that the Washington–Abu Dhabi route can support a daily service from day one. We have responded confidently by committing 3,360 seats per week and investing [$6.8 million dollars] in a purpose-built premium lounge adjacent to our permanent gate in Terminal A at Dulles International Airport. Already, forward bookings on this route are encouraging in both directions.”
Washington joins New York, Chicago and Toronto to become the fourth North American destination for Etihad.
The outbound flight will depart Washington at 10:15 p.m. for the 13 hour, 30 minute flight to Abu Dhabi on an Airbus A340-500 aircraft.
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