Bangkok--8 Dec--Total Quality PR
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, said today it would begin flying to Tripoli on January 17.
The three return flights a week will be operated by an Airbus A320 with 162 Coral Economy seats.
The flights will depart from Abu Dhabi at 8am on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays with the return service leaving Tripoli at 4.15pm.
The Libyan capital becomes the fifth city in North Africa to which the airline flies and the 73rd passenger destination in Etihad’s worldwide network.
The Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, Mr James Hogan, said the schedule would provide convenient timings for Abu Dhabi and UAE-based passengers and allow fast and seamless connections across Etihad’s broader GCC network.
Mr Hogan said the regime change in Tripoli meant there would be significant point-to-point traffic and strong demand for flights to the country as it rebuilds after the civil war.
“We are delighted to be able to launch these flights and do all we can to help the country get back on its feet at this critical point in Libya’s history,” Mr Hogan said.
Initially the flights will operate via Alexandria in Egypt but Etihad Airways will move to non-stop services as soon as the infrastructure in Tripoli can support them.
New Tripoli schedule effective Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Flight # Departs Departure Time Arrives Arrival Time Frequency
EY663 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 8.00 Alexandria (HBE) 10.30 Three per week: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
EY663 Alexandria (HBE) 11.15 Tripoli (TIP) 14.15 Three per week: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
EY662 Tripoli (TIP) 16.15 Alexandria (HBE) 18.40 Three per week: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday
EY662 Alexandria (HBE) 19.25 Abu Dhabi (AUH) 01:00 +1 Three per week: Tuesday, Friday, Sunday