Etihad Airways will launch a year-round service between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Airport in October, expanding air connectivity to the kingdom’s emerging tourism destination.
The airline will operate one weekly flight from Zayed International Airport to Red Sea International Airport every Sunday from Oct. 4, adding a second weekly service on Thursdays from Oct. 25, Red Sea International Airport said on Thursday.
The route will be operated with an Airbus A320.
The new service will connect the Red Sea destination with Abu Dhabi and, through Etihad’s wider network, offer access to international travellers, the airport said.
Red Sea International Airport, operated by daa International, currently handles about 20 domestic and international flights a week, serving destinations including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Doha and Milan.
The airport is the gateway to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea and AMAALA tourism developments, which are being built along the kingdom’s western coast.
Eleven resorts are currently open at the Red Sea destination, including Six Senses Southern Dunes, Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and Four Seasons Resort and Residences. Six more resorts are expected to open in the coming months.
“Etihad’s twice-weekly service from Abu Dhabi opens the region to guests from across the UAE and far beyond,” Michael White, chief commercial officer of Red Sea International Airport, said.
Etihad Chief Executive Officer Antonoaldo Neves said the destination offered travellers a short flight from Abu Dhabi and a single connection from elsewhere on the airline’s network.
Red Sea International Airport is located about 90 km south of Al Wajh and is being developed to serve one million passengers a year by 2030.
The airport said it is within three hours’ flying time of 250 million people and within eight hours of 85% of the world’s population.
The expansion of air links is being supported by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, the airport said.
