Etihad Has Eye On Perth

The Age

Saturday August 2, 2008

Mathew Murphy

PERTH could be the next Australian destination for Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways.

A week after Etihad announced it would begin daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne, chief executive James Hogan said the airline had the capacity to service another Australian city.

Etihad, the national carrier of Abu Dhabi, flies into Sydney and Brisbane, and services to Melbourne are to start in March.

"We are looking to expand our network all the time and there may be one more Australian destination on the cards," Mr Hogan said.

BusinessDay believes Perth is considered the most attractive option. Etihad recently announced that from October it would increase its Abu Dhabi to Sydney flights from seven to 11 a week. It has tripled flights to and from Australia since announcing services to Brisbane and Sydney last year.

Etihad is the first international airline to start new services into Melbourne in two years. The move is expected to create 10 direct jobs and about 50 indirect jobs.

© 2008 The Age

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