Etihad Gears Up For Washington And Mumbai B787 Flights

Etihad Airways’ B787 Dreamliner is gearing up for its busiest week as it connects passengers in Mumbai, Abu Dhabi and Washington DC from March 15.

Between Abu Dhabi and Mumbai, EY206 will depart Abu Dhabi 2135 and arrive in Mumbai 0250 (plus one), turn round at 0420 and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 0610.

EY131 will depart Abu Dhabi at 1130 and arrive in the US capital at 1845, and EY130 will depart Washington at a business-time-friendly 2250 and arrive in Abu Dhabi 1945 (next day). The Dreamliner replaces an A340 to Washington.

Outbound travellers from Abu Dhabi benefit from pre-clearance at US Customs and Border Protection at Abu Dhabi Airport and inbound, passengers can access the airline’s lounge at Dulles International Airport, close to the departure gate in Terminal A.

Washington, launched two years ago, is now one of six destinations served by Etihad in the US alongside San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas Fort Worth, Chicago and New York.

Deploying the B787 between India and Washington, via Abu Dhabi, shows the importance of the two-way market. Etihad serves 11 Indian cities in its own right and 15 in combination with partner Jet Airways.

Etihad Airways’ order for two variants of the B787 (-9 and -10) totals 71 aircraft. The lightweight composite materials used in the aircraft mean that the B787 uses up to 30 per cent less fuel than other aircraft in its category and produces a comparable reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Its first B787 route was Dusseldorf.