Abu Dhabi’s Etihad to suspend flights to Sao Paulo

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has said it will cease flights between Abu Dhabi and Sao Paulo next year citing the weakening Brazilian economy.

In a statement the airline said it would suspend operations between the two cities from March 26.

“The current economic crisis in Brazil together with the sharp depreciation of the Brazilian currency have severely impacted travel to and from the South American nation,” Etihad said.

“The performance of the route has fallen short of company expectations and the difficult decision has been made to indefinitely suspend operations.”

The airline launched flights to Sao Paulo in June 2013 and has carried more than 460,000 passengers on the route over the last thee years.

Guests that have already booked flights beyond March 25 will be offered a full refund or alternative travel options through Alitalia via Rome.

The suspension of the service comes as difficult economic conditions and currency devaluations force other Gulf airlines to reconsider their route map.

At the end of October, Dubai rival Emirates suspended services to the Nigerian capital Abuja.

Read: Dubai’s Emirates to suspend services to Nigeria’s Abuja

The airline reported a 75 per cent decrease in first half net profit earlier this month.

Read: Dubai airline Emirates H1 net profit slumps 75%