Etihad Airways will increase its nonstop flights between Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Sydney in Australia to two daily flights from 15 December 2026, adding 4 weekly flights to the current 10 to bring the service to 14 flights a week.
The airline operates all flights between the two cities with Airbus A350 aircraft, offering more than 5,000 seats a week on the route, in time for Australia's summer travel season, according to a post on the Etihad Airways website.
Etihad began flying to Sydney in 2007, and the increased frequency gives travelers more options to connect via Abu Dhabi to destinations in the Gulf and the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Europe.
The second daily flight gives travelers from Australia more stopover options in Abu Dhabi. The stopover program offers the option of adding one or two free hotel nights and extends to the city of Al Ain.
The additional Sydney flights also offer connections to other destinations in Australia and New Zealand through partner airlines Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand.
The timings of the two flights from Sydney connect with Etihad's morning and evening departures via Abu Dhabi, allowing same-day connections to a number of European cities, including Zurich, Geneva, Milan, Rome, Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Manchester and Dublin.
Arik De, Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer at Etihad Airways, said increasing flights to twice daily gives travelers greater flexibility between Australia and the airline's network, and strengthens connection options via Abu Dhabi to the Middle East and Europe.
Etihad's Australian network also includes a daily flight between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne operated with Boeing 787 aircraft. The additional flights are available to book on etihad.com.
To view the post on the Etihad Airways website, click here.
