Etihad adds two new European routes and add flights to Zurich

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Compared to what it was (and what it aimed to be) five or six years ago, Etihad is now a much smaller airline, but the past couple of years has seen the airline adding more routes and growing its network and we now know to expect two new routes to Europe from summer 2025.

Etihad’s new European routes

Abu Dhabi – Prague

From 2 June 2025 Etihad will operate a 4x/week service between Abu Dhabi and Prague on the following schedule:

EY155 AUH 02:50 – 07:15 PRG (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun)
EY156 PRG 11:20 – 19:05 AUH (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sun)

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Abu Dhabi – Warsaw

From 3 June 2025 Etihad will fly between Abu Dhabi and Warsaw 4x/week on the following schedule:

EY159 AUH 02:45 – 06:50 WAW (Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun)
EY160 WAW 11:15 – 19:00 AUH (Tue, Thu, Sat & Sun)

The route will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Based on what the Etihad press release has to say, it doesn’t look like these routes are seasonal, so it looks like they’re here to stay (as long as they prove not to be loss making).

‘Both Poland and Czechia have been growing sources of visitors to the UAE. The introduction of direct flights from Warsaw and Prague is set to enhance travel options, offering travellers from these regions a new and convenient way to experience Abu Dhabi’s stunning attractions, from its beautiful beaches to its rich cultural heritage and world-class entertainment.’

‘As a key global hub, Abu Dhabi provides seamless connectivity to Etihad’s extensive network, with these new flights scheduled to connect seamlessly to key destinations across the Middle East, Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Australia. Whether travelling for business or leisure, guests can easily access major cities including Sydney, Mumbai, Bangkok, and Riyadh. Abu Dhabi’s world-class airport, combined with Etihad’s renowned services, enhance the travel experience, making it the ideal gateway between Europe and some of the most important markets around the globe.’

Etihad has three different cabin layouts on its 787-9 aircraft and the Dreamliners that are currently scheduled to operate both of these routes are the ones equipped with 28 Business Class seats and 262 Economy Class seats.

In Business Class, passengers can expect to find the airline’s ‘Business Studio’ seat which has been around for some time, but which is, nevertheless, pretty good.

Thee seats alternate between facing forward and rearward, they’re 22″ wide, and they can convert into a lie-flat bed measuring between 75″ and 80″ in length.

In the Economy Class cabin, the 262 seats are arranged in a 3-3-3 layout and are only a little over 17″ wide (which is tight).

Given the choice, passengers booking this cabin should select seats in the first 9 rows (rows 15 through 23) as these all offer 33″ of pitch (legroom). The remaining seats in this cabin offer just 31″ of pitch.

Note: Etihad is in the process of receiving new 787-9 Dreamliners which come fitted with all new Business Class and Economy Class cabins, but given how few of these upgraded aircraft Etihad has (and will have by next summer), I think it unlikely that they will appear on either of these routes.

Etihad adds flights to Zurich

Currently, Etihad offers a daily service between Abu Dhabi and Zurich using a mix of A350-1000 and 787-10 aircraft.

That’s set to continue into next year, but from 2 February 2025, the airline will add a further three flights to this route giving it a total of 10 weekly frequencies.

This is what the planned schedule looks like for February 2025 (timings will change for summer season):

EY143 AUH 02:35 – 06:30 ZRH (Daily)
EY141 AUH 14:50 – 18:45 ZRH (Tue, Fri & Sun)

EY144 ZRH 10:30 – 19:25 AUH (Daily)
EY142 ZRH 21:10 – 06:05+1 day AUH (Tue, Fri & Sun)

As things stand, EY143/144 are scheduled to be operated by 787-9 aircraft on Fri, Sat & Sun with the A350-1000 operating Mon – Thu.

And EY141/142 will be flown by 787-9 on all three days that the flights operate.

Based on what I can see in ExpertFlyer and the Etihad seat maps, EY143/144 will switch from a 787-10 to a 787-9 from 25 October 2024, and from 27 October 2024, some of these aircraft will feature the airline’s newest Business Class cabin with the Collins Aerospace Elements seat.

Clearly, the aircraft that airlines assign to various routes can change very suddenly, so no one should be booking this route thinking that they will definitely get to try out the new Business Class cabin, but this is a route worth keeping an eye on if the latest seat is of interest.

Bottom line

Etihad has confirmed that it will launch two new routes to Europe next summer with Prague and Warsaw being the latest additions to the airline’s route map, and with Zurich also now scheduled to see three more weekly flights from Abu Dhabi from February 2025, it looks like Etihad sees Europe as a good market in which to grow.