Etihad to resume flights to Istanbul in January

The airline will operate a twice-weekly service to the Turkish city

Etihad will run a daily service between Doha and Abu Dhabi using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, pictured, and Airbus A320 aircraft. Courtesy: Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways will resume passenger flights from Abu Dhabi to Istanbul on Sunday, January 17.

The service will initially be operated twice-weekly, on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Flight EY97 will depart from Abu Dhabi at 10.05 on Friday and Sunday, arriving in Istanbul at 14.10. Flight EY96 will take off from Istanbul at 15.40 on the same days, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 21.15.

“As Etihad gradually returns [to] more destinations to its global network, the airline is looking forward to the resumption of scheduled services to Istanbul,” said Martin Drew, senior vice president sales and cargo, Etihad Aviation Group.

“As the network continues to be built back up, Etihad ensures a secure and hygienic flying environment across the entire guest journey. Over the last few months, the airline has seized every opportunity to improve processes, including the introduction of free PCR testing for guests departing the UAE and free Covid-19 insurance for all passengers globally.”

All guests travelling on Etihad Airways flights are required to show a negative Covid-19 PCR test result, received within 96 hours prior to departure from Abu Dhabi, or from their departure airport if they are transferring from other cities via Abu Dhabi.

The announcement of resumed service to Istanbul comes amid news that Etihad has suspended flights to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait until further notice, after all three countries closed their borders to commercial air traffic.