LONDON – On February 2, it was announced by the U.A.E flag carrier, Etihad Airways, that they would be increasing their Frankfurt services.
Etihad Boosts Frankfurt Capacity…
At present, Etihad Airways currently serves the German city of Frankfurt on a daily basis, however, from May 1, 2023, the United Arab Emirates flag carrier will add an additional four weekly services to the route.
Significantly boosting its capacity to Frankfurt by adding an extra 1,160 seats per week, on top of their previous weekly seat count of approximately 2,030 available seats.
At present Etihad flights to Frankfurt are as follows –
- Flight EY1 departs Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) at 02.50 am and arrives at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) after an approximately six-and-a-half hour flight at 06.45 am. This service operates on a daily basis and both times are local.
- Flight EY2 departs Frankfurt Airport (FRA) at 10.45 am and arrives back at Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) after an approximately five-hour-twenty-minute flight at 19.45 pm. This service operates on a daily basis and both times are local.
The route is currently served by Etihad Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet, of which the flag carrier operates a mix of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners.
The additional four services will also continue to be operated by the carriers’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet.
Broken down, Etihad has 30 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners with some of the aircraft having eight first-class suites, 28 business-class seats, and 195 economy-class seats. The remaining have a configuration of 28 business-class seats and 271 economy-class seats.
Etihad also operates nine Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners, of which all have a seating configuration of 32 business-class seats and 304 economy-class seats.
The carrier still has further orders for 11 more Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and 21 more Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners for a total combined fleet count of 71 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Their Frankfurt capacity upgrade announcement comes just days after the carrier released a plethora of route announcements, including, new services to Düsseldorf and Copenhagen.
As well as both doubling their services to Jakarta Indonesia, and doubling services to Bangkok, Thailand, all at the start of 2023.
Executive Comments…
Commenting on their latest capacity upgrade to Frankfurt, Etihad Airways Chief Revenue Officer, Arik De, has said, “We are pleased to offer our guests more flights to Frankfurt, one of Europe’s most important airports.”
“The increase in frequency also means greater connectivity to our growing network and the opportunity to welcome more visitors to Abu Dhabi where they can enjoy our world-renowned hospitality, culture, leisure activities, and cuisine.”
Overall…
Etihad is undoubtedly on a streak right now with its growth, and increasing capacity on its Frankfurt services is yet another sign that the carrier is returning with force since the relaxation of the pandemic’s restrictions.
Does the carrier have more route increases/announcements up their sleeves? Only time will tell but one thing is evident, the carrier is aiming for strong growth across its entire route network.
