Giving Australians more options for travelling to Europe (and elsewhere), Etihad Airways will increase its flights between Sydney and Abu Dhabi to 10 per week from July 2025.
With Etihad currently offering a daily service from Sydney, the extra three weekly flights come as part of an overall boost to the UAE flag carrier’s northern summer schedule for 2025.
Among these upgrades are new year-round, double-daily flights from Abu Dhabi to cities including Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Manchester, Munich and Zurich.
According to the airline, the enhanced schedule includes new 2pm departures to Europe, meaning travellers can choose between morning and evening flights for added flexibility.
“We are delighted to be increasing our services to Sydney from 2025 to 10 flights per week,” Etihad Regional General Manager Asia-Pacific Amer Khan said.
“The increase provides our customers with additional flexibility and timings making it easier to visit our wonderful home city of Abu Dhabi, or Dubai or connect with our growing global network.
“For summer 2025 we have announced double-daily flights to key European cities including Rome, Barcelona, Paris and Milan conveniently timed to connect with our services from Asia Pacific.”
Etihad Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer Arik De added, “We are delivering on our strategic promise to serve more key destinations twice daily as fast as we can, and our summer schedule underscores our commitment to growth and further supporting tourism in Abu Dhabi”.
With the new flights now open for bookings, he also explained how the new schedule would directly benefit visitation to the United Arab Emirates capital.
“By aligning our schedule to offer 2pm departures from Abu Dhabi, we provide guests with convenient check-out times from their hotels, allowing them to make the most of their stay in our beautiful city,” he stated.
“Morning arrivals offer tourists the benefit of early hotel check-ins and extra time to explore the city’s attractions, and evening arrivals are ideal for those who prefer a seamless transition after work or other commitments. For business travellers, the schedules accommodate full working days at both the beginning and end of their trip.
“We’re excited to add Warsaw and Prague to our network, and travellers can look forward to more route announcements very soon.”
Sydney Airport’s Group Executive, Aviation Growth & Group Strategy, Greg Botham, said the airline’s “continued investment in connecting Sydney to the Middle East and beyond is a strong vote of confidence in Sydney and NSW and we look forward to working with them to continue to grow their presence”.
In August, Etihad unveiled an extra weekly service from Melbourne to Abu Dhabi as well as updating its departure time from 27 October.
Earlier in the year, Etihad and the Department of Culture and Tourism, Abu Dhabi signed a deal giving guests who book with Etihad the option to add a stopover and stay in the UAE capital for up to two nights free.
