Etihad Airways launches 3rd daily flight from Colombo

Friday, 3 June 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Etihad Airways is offering travellers from Sri Lanka greater choice and more travel options to the GCC, Middle East and Europe with the launch of a third daily flight from Colombo, effective from 1 June.

Timed to coincide with the peak summer travel months as many travellers head west, the new seasonal service will help cater for the surge in demand. The new flight EY263 departs Colombo at 19:50 hrs, arriving into Abu Dhabi at 23:00 hrs. The new return flight EY262 departs Abu Dhabi at 09:00 hrs, arriving into Colombo at 15:10 hrs. The extra schedule is effective until September 30.

With the additional daily service, guests travelling through Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub are able to take advantage of more flight options to connect to an array of destinations across Europe, including London, Manchester, Paris, Dublin, Belgrade, Rome, Munich, Milan, Geneva, Madrid, Athens, Moscow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels and Istanbul.

The airline’s GCC and Middle East network is made even closer with a greater choice of flights connecting many cities, including Kuwait, Doha, Riyadh, Jeddah, Muscat, Cairo and Amman.

Travelling from Colombo, guests can fly one-stop to seven North American cities – Toronto, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington and Dallas, with travellers having the additional benefit of clearing US Immigration and Customs at the special US Pre-Clearance facilities at Abu Dhabi International Airport during their transit. This ensures they arrive in the United States as domestic passengers, avoiding the need to complete lengthy immigration formalities upon arrival.

Etihad Airways Vice President Indian Subcontinent Neerja Bhatia said: “With our improved network from Colombo during the peak travel months, we are delighted to provide our guests with greater choice, improved connectivity and, most of all, increased access to even more destinations we fly to via our Abu Dhabi hub.

“Sri Lanka is an integral part of our network in the Indian Subcontinent, so all the more important for us to build on our already strong operations to and from the capital Colombo.”

Etihad Airways General Manager Sri Lanka Kumar De Silva added: “This is an exciting opportunity for travellers from Sri Lanka looking to travel to diverse destinations around the world on Etihad Airways’ extensive network enjoying a world-class travel experience on board our modern fleet of aircraft. Furthermore, with Sri Lanka’s national cricket team currently on international tour in England, the new daily flight will provide fans with additional access to London, one of the most popular destinations for travellers from our country.”