Etihad expands foothold in UK

Etihad Airways, which operates more than 1000 flights per week to 70 global destinations, has decided to double its flights between Abu Dhabi and Manchester from this week. Abu Dhabi’s flagship carrier will now run 14 flights per week between the two cities. This is more than the 10 flights announced by Etihad at the beginning of this year. The step is seen as a major push by the airlines into north England to tap into the passengers and garner the price-sensitive Asian traffic directed through their regional hubs. The competition on the UAE-UK route has hotted up in the recent past. In March this year Emirates announced its decision to add a third daily flight from Manchester to Dubai, while Qatar Airways’ Doha route started double-daily from August 1. The latest announcement by Etihad came close on the heels of the carrier's announcement of a 10-year partnership deal with the Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City football club, worth $480 million. Reader's would note that Etihad's name features prominently on the team’s shirt and stadium.