Etihad Airways will add Almaty in Kazakhstan to its network from December 2. An Airbus A319 will make four non-stop flights a week between the two cities.
The EY296 flight will depart Abu Dhabi at 1020 every Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and arrive in Almaty at 1635 the same day. The EY297 return flight will depart Almaty on the same day at 1735 and will arrive in Abu Dhabi at 2030.
Etihad Airways' chief executive, James Hogan, said Etihad anticipates a substantial demand for flights between Almaty and Abu Dhabi.
”As two major oil-producing countries, strong links already exist between the UAE and Kazakhstan, which Etihad is very keen to develop further,” Hogan said.
The Airbus A319 can hold a maximum 104 passengers on each flight with 20 seats in business class and 84 in economy class.
Last week, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Kazakhstan in hope of improving relations between the two nations.
Almaty will be Etihad's ninth destination in the Asia-Pacific region.