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Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, July 20, 2012, 10:18 am-- /EPR NETWORK/ -- Etihad Airways will launch daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's commercial capital and most populous city, in October 2013.
It will be Etihad Airways' sixth online destination within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, joining Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, and Singapore.
In conjunction with its partner airlines, the new Ho Chi Minh City service extends Etihad Airways' total flight network reach to 21 ASEAN destinations.
The new air services to Ho Chi Minh City are set to meet growing demand from Vietnam's rapidly expanding economy and will support the country's increasing commercial ties with the United Arab Emirates, and in particular Abu Dhabi.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways' President and Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are delighted to announce the introduction of Ho Chi Minh City to the Etihad Airways' global flight network. Like our home-base of Abu Dhabi, it is a vibrant, culturally rich and expanding city popular with business and leisure travellers.
"The route will be ideal to carry passengers and cargo point to point from the United Arab Emirates, as well as from Etihad Airways destinations across the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America."
The new flight services will further support joint UAE and Vietnam government ventures in areas of energy, infrastructure, tourism, and civil construction. UAE investment in Vietnam now stands at more than US $3 billion and two-way trade revenue approximately US $1.3 billion.
Mr Hogan added: "Etihad Airways has a strong South East Asian network and the addition of daily services to Ho Chi Minh City underlines our commitment to this region that continues to experience strong commercial growth across many industries, especially tourism, manufacturing and technology."
HE Tran Ngoc Thach, Ambassador of Vietnam to the UAE, said: "I believe that Etihad's direct flights to Vietnam will contribute to improving understanding between the two peoples of Viet Nam and the UAE. More and more tourists will come to Viet Nam and a greater number of tourists will come to the UAE. They will also help to increase trade and tourism between our two countries for the benefit of the people and countries."
Flights between Abu Dhabi and Ho Chi Minh City will begin on 1 October 2013 and will be served by a two class A330-200 aircraft. The aircraft will have 22 Pearl Business Class seats and 240 Coral Economy Class seats - a total 3,668 seats per week.
Etihad Airways codeshare with Vietnam Airlines already provides Etihad Airways passengers with daily connections through Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur to both Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
Already in 2012 Etihad Airways has announced the launch of non-stop flights to Sao Paulo, Washington, D.C., Lagos, Addis Ababa and Ahmedabad.
These cities are part of the airline’s 10-year network growth plan which will see Etihad Airways fly to up to 100 destinations with a fleet of more than 150 aircraft by 2020.
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About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, began operations
in 2003, and in 2011 carried 8.3 million passengers. From its hub at Abu Dhabi
International Airport, Etihad Airways serves 84 passenger and cargo destinations in
the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and North America, including flights to Vietnam, flights to India, flights to London, flights to Sydney and flightsto Thailand. Etihad Airways employs a fleet of 66 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and has 100 aircraft on order, including 10 Airbus A380s, the world's largest passenger aircraft. Etihad Airways also owns nearly 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe's sixth largest airline, and 40 per cent of Air Seychelles. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com
For more information contact:
Tom Clarke
Etihad Airways Corporate Communications
P.O.Box 35566
Head Office
Khalifa City A
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
+971 (0) 2 511 1036
www.etihadairways.com
