Etihad to start direct flights between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi from Sunday

Kolkata: Etihad Airways will resume flight services between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the airlines said.

The flights, to be available every day, will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, offering eight seats in business class and 150 in economy class, it said.

With the recommencement of services to Kolkata, Etihad will now fly to 14 destinations across the region — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives, it added.

The aircraft will depart Abu Dhabi at 9.10 pm local time, and land in Kolkata at 3.30 am. It will take off from Kolkata at 4.35 am, and reach the UAE capital at 8.15 am local time.

“Our return to Kolkata will come at the same time as we go double daily to New York, providing better access between India and the United States via Abu Dhabi, where our guests can take advantage of our US preclearance facility for a seamless arrival into the States,” said Martin Drew, the senior vice-president of global sales and cargo at Etihad.

Last week, low-cost carrier Air Arabia launched its services between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi, flying three days a week. It is also operating an Airbus A320.

Etihad had stopped its services between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi following the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kolkata has direct flights to two other west Asian destinations, Dubai and Doha.