Etihad strengthens Australia presence
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Etihad Airways has boosted its presence in Australia with a flight increase to Brisbane and a sponsorship extension for the Melbourne’s sports stadium.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier will increase its flights between Brisbane and Abu Dhabi via Singapore from a thrice weekly service to daily from 1 February 2013. An Airbus A330-200 will be used on the route.
“Going daily to Brisbane and Singapore puts Etihad Airways in a stronger competitive position and will increase the airline’s brand footprint exponentially in these markets,” said James Hogan, CEO of Etihad on the announcement. “Adding an extra 1048 seats per week to the route underscores the strategic importance of Singapore to our business.”
Meanwhile in Melbourne, the new multi-million dollar five-year stadium sponsorship deal extends the airline’s naming rights for the Docklands Stadium, meaning it will continue to be called the Etihad Stadium until 2019.
Etihad’s partner airline Virgin Australia has also announced increased services across its domestic network. The airline will boost capacity on its Melbourne-Perth route with a new A330, while its Brisbane-Perth service will move to a three weekday operation with its new business class cabin.
