ABU DHABI, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, announced on Monday a major expansion of its China network, launching five new routes and adding 28 weekly flights.
New routes will connect Abu Dhabi with Shanghai Pudong, Guangzhou, Chengdu Tianfu, Hangzhou, and Shenzhen, linking key financial, manufacturing and technology hubs in China with the UAE's capital.
The latest expansion will increase Etihad's flights connecting the Chinese mainland to 35 weekly services across six destinations, including its existing daily service to Beijing Daxing, marking one of the airline's largest single-market capacity increases in recent years.
Flights to Shanghai will start in October this year, while the other four new routes will begin operations in March 2027.
Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, chairman of Etihad Airways, said the announcement reflects the "enduring strength and growing promise" of UAE-China cooperation, adding that expanded connectivity will deliver "shared and lasting economic prosperity."
Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves described China as a "strategically important market," saying the expansion underscores the airline's long-term commitment and will support growing demand for travel, trade, and cargo services. ■
