Bangalore becomes Etihad's eighth destination in India

Dubai, Jan 3 (PTI): UAE-based Etihad Airways has launched flights to Bangalore, its eighth destination in India, a company official said today.

Etihad operates four return flights a week to Bangalore and will increase to a daily service on the route from March 25, at the commencement of its summer scheduling season, the company said in a statement.

Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airways' Country Manager in India, said: "India is a hugely important market for Etihad - in fact, we operate to more destinations in India than any other country. We are delighted to be able to reach out to our guests in Karnataka through this new direct service - the first to operate between Bangalore and Abu Dhabi."

Etihad operates a two class Airbus A320 on the new Bangalore route configured to carry 140 passengers with 20 in Business class and 120 in Economy class. With the addition of Bangalore, Etihad flies to eight Indian destinations including New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Kochi with a total of 49 flights to India per week.