ETIHAD AIRWAYS ENHANCES PRESENCE IN EAST AFRICA WITH THE LAUNCH OF A NEW SERVICE BETWEEN DAR ES SALAAM AND ABU DHABI

Etihad Airways’ inaugural flight to Tanzania receives a water fountain welcome after touching down at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday, 1st December 2015.

Officials taking part in the official ribbon-cutting ceremony included, H.E. Mbarouk Nassor Mbarouk, Tanzanian Ambassador to the UAE, Daniel Barranger, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President - Global Sales, H.E. Abdullah Ibrahim Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Tanzania, Dr Shaaban Mwinjaka, Permanent Secretary, Tanzanian Ministry of Transport, H.E. Mbarouk Nassor Mbarouk, Tanzanian Ambassador to the UAE, and Eng: Thomas Haule Director, Tanzanian Airport AuthorityAhmed Al Shehhi-Etihad Airways General Manager Tanzania.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has enhanced its presence in East Africa with the launch of new services between Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

On touching down at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on on Tuesday afternoon, the inaugural flight was welcomed with a water-cannon salute, and a troupe of traditional Tanzanian dancers.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the auspicious occasion, which was attended by:

- Dr Shaaban Mwinjaka, Permanent Secretary, Tanzanian Ministry of Transport,

- Dr Adelhelm James Meru, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources,

- H.E. Mbarouk Nassor Mbarouk, Tanzanian Ambassador to the UAE,

- H.E. Abdullah Ibrahim Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Tanzania, and

- Daniel Barranger, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President - Global Sales,

- Eng: Thomas Haule Director, Tanzanian Airport Authority

Dar es Salaam is Etihad Airways’ third departure point in East Africa, along with Nairobi and Entebbe, and its ninth destination on the continent.

Operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats, the new service is designed to provide business and leisure travellers with a direct daily service between Dar es Salaam and Abu Dhabi, with convenient onward connections to key destinations in the GCC region, Europe, Indian Subcontinent, North Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Mr Barranger said: “The launch of Etihad Airways’ flights to Dar es Salaam is consistent with our strategy of targeting areas of strong growth in emerging markets.

“Dar es Salaam is a wonderful destination for tourists seeking to experience the great culture and history of Tanzania, and provides the gateway to numerous national and international tourist attractions, including Mount Kilimanjaro, the wildlife-rich national parks of the Serengeti, and the spice island of Zanzibar.

“The UAE is also a major trading partner with Tanzania and our new point-to-point services strengthen the two-way flow of trade and commerce between the two countries. The flight scheduling offers guests convenient onward connections, and caters for the strong traffic flows between Tanzania and key destinations across our global network, such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai in India or Beijing and Shanghai in China.

“Not only does this service provide our guests with direct access to an exciting new business and tourism destination, it also further strengthens our presence in East Africa and across the African continent” he added.

Etihad Airways has steadily grown its presence on the continent since the launch of its first service to Cairo in November 2004. Since then the airline has introduced services to Casablanca, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Nairobi, and Mahé in the Seychelles, and plans to launch to Rabat in Morocco, mid-January 2015.

Etihad Airways schedule for Dar es Salaam flights, effective 1 December 2015:

Flight No.	Origin	Departs	Destination	Arrives	Frequency	Aircraft
EY681	Abu Dhabi (AUH)	8:20	Dar es Salaam (DAR)	13:00	Daily	A320
EY682	Dar es Salaam (DAR)	13:50	Abu Dhabi (AUH)	20:15	Daily	A320

Note: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time.

About Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 116 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200 aircraft on firm order, including 66 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and five Airbus A380s.

Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional. Etihad Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways Partners, a new brand that brings together like-minded airlines to offer customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com

For more information contact:
Damian James, Etihad Airways Corporate Affairs
Tel: + 971 2 511 1035 / Email: djames@etihad.ae