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Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways will serve a new market in China starting next month to meet growing demand.
From October 10, the airline will fly to the historic and port city of Guangzhou, becoming the first international carrier to operate long-haul passenger services to major Chinese gateways since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The twice-weekly service will address the "huge demand" for air travel and boost cargo capacity between the UAE and China, according to Martin Drew, Etihad's Senior Vice President for global sales and cargo.
The airline will initially operate a two-class Boeing 777 aircraft.
With the new route, Etihad will be offering passengers access to three top Chinese gateways. Guangzhou has been added to existing services to Shanghai which resumed in July 2020 and Beijing, which resumed in June 2022, the airline said.
The Chinese travel market had been among the slowest to recover from the pandemic.
Last May, China saw a dramatic 73.2% fall in domestic travel compared to the previous year due to continuing zero-COVID policy, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
(Writing by Cleofe Maceda; editing by Daniel Luiz)
