Etihad starts direct flights between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways resumed flight services between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi on Sunday after three years, a statement said. The airlines will operate two flights a day, four days a week — Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday — from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi, the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport said in the statement.

The first flight will depart Kolkata at 4.15 am and reach Abu Dhabi at 7.55 am local time. The second one will leave Kolkata at 9.05 pm and reach its destination at 12.45 am local time, it said.

From Abu Dhabi, there will be one direct flight to Kolkata four days a week. It will depart Abu Dhabi at 9 pm local time and reach Kolkata at 3.20 am.

Etihad Airways will operate an Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, offering eight seats in business class and 150 in economy class, it said.

On the inaugural day, 152 passengers travelled from Abu Dhabi to Kolkata, while 126 passengers travelled from Kolkata to Abu Dhabi, it added.

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

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.