Etihad Airways will begin non-stop service between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO) in July 2014. Pending regulatory approvals, Rome will become Etihad’s second Italian destination alongside Milan Malpensa (MXP). The airline plans to operate a daily flight starting 15 July 2014 using an Airbus A330-200, configured with 22 fully flat beds in Business Class and 240 Economy seats.
The new route builds on Etihad’s existing partnership with Alitalia, which currently operates five weekly Abu Dhabi–Rome services and offers connections from Rome to several European destinations, including Milan, Bucharest (OTP), Sofia (SOF), Vienna (VIE), Venice (VCE), Madrid (MAD), Málaga (AGP), Budapest (BUD), Malta (MLA) and Barcelona (BCN). In addition to those options, passengers will have connecting choices to regional destinations such as Bolzano, Italy (BZO); Tirana, Albania (TIA); and Zagreb, Croatia (ZAG) via Etihad Regional services, and onward travel to Belgrade (BEG) through Air Serbia.
James Hogan, President and CEO of Etihad, noted that the Abu Dhabi–Rome route will expand the carrier’s footprint in Italy, provide an additional gateway into Europe with strong onward connectivity, and reinforce commercial and leisure ties between Italy and the UAE.
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