Etihad Airways will begin year-round flights from Abu Dhabi to Red Sea International Airport in Saudi Arabia on 4 October, giving agents a direct route into the Red Sea Global resort destination.
The service starts weekly and rises to twice weekly from 25 October, with a flight time of just over three hours. Red Sea International Airport currently serves Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Doha and Milan, with around 20 weekly domestic and international flights, according to Arab News.
Eleven resorts are open, including Six Senses Southern Dunes, Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, and the Four Seasons Resort and Residences at The Red Sea, with six more due in the coming months.
John Pagano, chief executive of Red Sea Global, said the partnership with Etihad marked a significant step in improving accessibility to the destination. Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad chief executive, said that the kind of holiday people normally take a long-haul flight for, with islands, reefs and relaxation, is now a short flight from Abu Dhabi.
Etihad is also adding Luxembourg from October and Calgary from 25 October, each four times weekly, according to Aviation Week. For more on the carrier, see our report on Etihad’s tourism agreement with Uzbekistan.
Details are from Red Sea Global as reported by Arab News and from Aviation Week; we have not seen the Etihad release itself.