Etihad Airways Photo: ETIHAD The move aims to strengthen Etihad Airways' presence, represented by Maman Aviation in Israel, and improve connectivity from its Abu Dhabi hub to key Far East destinations. The increased frequency is also expected to lower prices to popular destinations among Israelis, such as Bangkok and Zanzibar, as well as other places like Krabi, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, and Taipei.
The fifth flight, now available for booking, will be operated by an Airbus A321neo aircraft and will offer 188 seats.
The new flight will leave Tel Aviv (EY0610) at 06:20 and land in Abu Dhabi at 11:15, while the return flight will leave Abu Dhabi (EY0609) at 02:45 and land in Tel Aviv at 04:35.
The company notes that tickets to Bangkok for travel between January 3 and 10 are already available at $972 per passenger, compared to an average market price of around $1,200 for flights with a layover.
During the first eight months of the year, Etihad Airways flew approximately 208,000 Israeli passengers, ranking eighth among all airlines operating at Ben Gurion Airport.
Since October 7, 2023, when many airlines paused or reduced their operations to Israel due to the "Operation Swords of Iron", Etihad Airways was one of the few to continue flying almost uninterrupted, becoming notably prominent at Ben Gurion Airport, both in flight numbers and operational presence.
Even before announcing its expansion in Israel, company executives visited the country to strengthen ties with local aviation industry stakeholders and continue investing in the route and the Israeli market in general. These visits reflected the strategic importance of the route for the company and its intention to further establish itself as a key player not only in flights between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi but also in popular onward destinations in the East, such as Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, India, and the Philippines.
Etihad Airways ended the first half of 2025 with a net profit of $306 million and a revenue of $3.7 billion. The airline carried 10.2 million passengers during this period, achieving an occupancy rate of 87%, and surpassed the 100 aircraft mark with 27 new routes.