This year will be one of the most important in Etihad Airways' eight-year history, according to James Hogan, the airline's CEO.
He said 2011 would see the airline “add depth and scale” to its operations and move towards its break-even target by the end of the year.
Manchester is among a number of European airports set to see more services from Etihad, which today (January 10) announced its expansion plans for 2011.
The middle eastern airline will increase the number of flights at the northern England airport from seven to 10 per week, and add capacity by introducing another Boeing 777 aircraft onto the route.
Etihad’s expansion in 2011 will be made possible by the delivery of five new wide-body passenger aircraft during the summer: three A330-300s and two B777-300ERs.
Hogan said: “As we take delivery of new aircraft in 2011, our focus is on offering at least a daily service on key business routes – and wherever possible, a double-daily service – to attract a greater share of the corporate travel market.”
Other European airports set to see more services from Etihad include Milan and Geneva, which will gain daily services to Abu Dhabi.
Flights to Paris, meanwhile, will increase from 10 flights per week to a double daily service, and flights to Brussels will increase from six flights per week to eight.
Final start dates of the additional flights have not yet been announced, but Etihad said it would be making the changes between June and August this year.
www.etihadairways.com