Etihad Airways Vice President Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka Neerja Bhatia (centre) with UAE Ambassador Ahmed Ali Al Mualla (left)
- Etihad Airways is one of the fastest growing airlines in commercial aviation history
- Colombo-Abu Dhabi route launched January 2010
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, is celebrating 10 years since it launched flights to Sri Lanka.
Etihad Airways first launched flights to Colombo in 2004, and after a brief pause resumed flights on 1 January 2010, connecting Sri Lankan travellers to Etihad’s global network ever since.
The airline has carried more than 1.2 million guests between the two cities and beyond since 2010. Both corporate and leisure travellers have used the services between Abu Dhabi and Colombo and connecting cities across the Middle East, Europe, Africa and North America. These include Amsterdam, Cairo, Frankfurt, London, Manchester, New York, Paris, Rome, Toronto and Washington.
Through Etihad’s codeshare partnership with SriLankan Airlines, guests are able to transfer through Colombo to and from destinations across Maldives and South East Asia.
Etihad Airways Vice President Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka Neerja Bhatia said: “We are tremendously proud of Etihad’s achievements and contribution to Sri Lanka in just 10 years. In this short time, we have emerged as a highly respected airline brand, known for leading the way through innovation underpinned by Arabian hospitality.
“Sri Lanka is an important market and sought-after destination for travellers across our global network, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done alongside key Sri Lankan tourism organisations and partners to showcase and bring this wonderful country to the world.”
As part of its celebrations, Etihad paid tribute to its top partners in Sri Lanka, including travel agents, government agencies, frequent flyers, the UAE embassy and the Sri Lankan public who have supported Etihad over the last 10 years.
“Thank you to all the people and organisations who have played a vital role in taking our success to new heights,” said Bhatia. “It is wonderful to be able to reward and acknowledge everyone who have supported us as Sri Lanka has a very competitive travel market and our success depends on maintaining and strengthening these close relationships.”
More than a dozen travel partners from the top ten leading local travel companies were also recognised for their ongoing support for Etihad at a special event in Colombo.
The event was attended by leading figures from the government, local business chambers, media, corporate partners, the travel trade, and Etihad’s most frequent flyers.
Etihad operates a next-generation fleet of over 100 Boeing and Airbus aircraft, flying to 84 passenger and cargo destinations across 55 countries, and was recently recognised as the ‘World’s Leading Airline 2019’, sweeping four awards at the ‘World Travel Awards 2019’.
Source:http://www.ft.lk/travel-tourism/Etihad-Airways-celebrates-10-years-flying-to-Sri-Lanka/27-695269
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko