The UAE airline made its first landing in San Francisco this week, marking the start of Etihad’s new nonstop daily services between Abu Dhabi and the Golden City.
Flight EY183 touched down at San Francisco International Airport, with some 650 passengers onboard, including Etihad representatives such as His Excellency Abdulla Alsaboosi the Consul General of the UAE and members of the Etihad management team.
To commemorate the inaugural flight, airline and airport management participated in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting at the departure and arrival gate.
Guests onboard the inaugural flight were also presented with special commemorative certificates.
San Francisco is the carrier’s fifth US destination, with services already operating from Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles, Washington DC, Chicago and New York.
Etihad Airways’ pilots waving US and UAE flags upon arrival of the inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi International Airport to San Francisco International Airport.
The service is however, the carrier’s first direct connection between the UAE and Northern California – a region Etihad described as a global tourism and business centre.
Flights are operated aboard Jet Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which is being leased by Etihad through an airline agreement.
The daily service departs Abu Dhabi at 2.15am and arrives in San Francisco at 6.30am. It returns, leaving San Francisco at 8.30am to arrive in Abu Dhabi at 12.40pm.
Next month, Etihad will launch its sixth US service, with flights to Dallas, Fort Worth commencing on 3 December.
This morning we #celebrate the touch down of our first flight from #AbuDhabi to #SanFrancisco! #EtihadInSF #AVGeek pic.twitter.com/SMhhH9OG31
— Etihad Airways (@EtihadAirways) November 19, 2014
