Etihad Airways has announced it will launch a daily link between Abu Dhabi and Washington DC from March 31, 2013, subject to regulatory approval. The flight will be its fourth route into North America and will complement its existing links to Toronto, Canada and Chicago and New York in the US. The airline will use a three-class Airbus A340-500 on the route, offering 12 Diamond First Class, 28 Pearl Business Class and 200 Coral Economy seats.
According to Etihad, the Washington region is home to America’s second largest market flying to the Middle East, after New York. “No other UAE carrier is offering nonstop services between D.C. and the UAE, so this capital-to-capital link is a huge opportunity for Etihad Airways,” explained James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways.
The new service will further strengthen the already strong political and economic ties between the National Capital Region and the UAE. Last week, the US Department of Commerce released data showing that total trade volume between the US and the UAE rose to $18.3 billion in 2011, a 43 per cent increase from the year before.
This increase represents the highest trade volume to date between the US and UAE. It also means that, for the third consecutive year, the UAE is the single largest export market for US goods in the Middle East. The US is the fifth largest trade partner worldwide for the UAE.
“The point-to-point traffic between Washington DC and Abu Dhabi is expected to contribute significantly to overall loads on the route. The schedule also allows maximum connectivity to key markets in the GCC, Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia,” added James Hogan. “The Washington, DC metropolitan area ranks as one of the strongest-performing economies in the country. Demand for premium cabins from the market is significantly higher than from other potential US destinations, so we forecast that our award-winning Diamond First class and Pearl Business class will be very popular.
In addition to strong economic ties between the US and UAE, the two countries also have significant mutual investment in educational, technological and cultural sectors. In the Washington region alone, there are a number of organisations that have a strong business presence in the UAE, or deep relationships with UAE institutions. Among these are the Carlyle Group, Hilton International, Lockheed Martin and Children’s National Medical Center.
Although Etihad will be the first UAE carrier on the route, United Airlines does already offer direct flights between Washington Dulles International and Dubai, while Qatar Airways, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Turkish Airlines and United Airlines provide links into other countries in the Middle East from the US city. An estimated 34,000 O&D passengers made the journey between Washington Dulles and UAE last year, up 26.3 per cent on the previous year and up 132.5 per cent on the figure three years ago.
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