Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, expects to carry over 230,000 guests during the upcoming Eid Al Adha period, an increase of almost 20 percent over the same period last year. Between 45,000 and 50,000 guests will travel during Eid Al Adha with the busiest travel day expected to be Saturday, Sept. 26. Top destinations for travel over the period are London, Bangkok, Manila, Sydney, New Delhi, Paris, New York, Melbourne and Munich. Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways' Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are pleased to be able to fly a large number of guests during the Eid Al Adha period, covering destinations from all corners of our global network”. “This year we have already introduced five new routes, with the addition of Kolkata, Madrid, Entebbe, Edinburgh and Hong Kong to our network, providing our guests more travel options,” said Baumgartner. Guests are encouraged to check-in online 24 hours before flights depart and arrive at the airport at least three hours before flight departure out of Abu Dhabi. Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 110 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 119 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200 aircraft on firm order, including 66 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777-X, 62 Airbus A350s and six Airbus A380s. Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional. 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. — SG
