Etihad Airways is the flag carrier national airline of United Arab Emirates. The airline has its main hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport in UAE.
Prior to its establishment, Gulf Air was the national carrier of UAE along with other three nations such as Bahrain, Omen and Qatar.
During 2003, UAE realized the need for a separate national airline on its own;
hence it sold out its stake to Gulf air and established Etihad Airways as a sole owner. Within a short span of its launch, Etihad Airways started performing well and got over 30 awards for its excellence.
Etihad Airways is rated high with four star rating by UK based rating agency Skytrax.
Etihad Airways connects many destinations in Arab world with Indian cities and gained as one of the most respected international airlines in India.
Etihad Airways was established in July 2003, with a royal decree issued by the UAE ruler.
This airline started its commercial services on November, 2003 to Beirut. In 2004, Etihad started its international operations with a scheduled flight to Geneva, and in the subsequent years, Brussels and Toronto were added to its international network.
By the end of 2006, Etihad added more than 30 destinations to its kitty. Presently, it serves around 54 destinations around the world and is planning to increase it to 70 by 2011.
Etihad Airways is a professionally run organization with Board of Directors headed by the President of UAE.
Cheap Etihad flights connect many destinations within UAE and outside as well.
Its network spans over different continents covering various countries. European destinations include UK, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Russia, Turkey and Switzerland.
In North America, it runs services to USA, Canada, Mexico and Central American countries.
Etihad Airways covers almost all Persian Gulf countries and Central Asia. In India, Etihad Airways offer services to Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Hyderabad and Bangalore.
Etihad Airways is one of the significant international airlines in India owing to its vast coverage in gulf region.
Etihad Airways fleet consists of 42 aircrafts from worlds leading manufactures, such as Boeing, Airbus Industries and McDonald & Douglas. The aircrafts ranges from Airbus 320 200, A330 300, A319 100, Boeing 777 300 ER, MD 11 F.
The airline is planning to modernize its fleets with the acquiring of more state-of-art aircrafts.
