In brief: Etihad is looking to expand its Australian footprint with flights from both Perth and Adelaide to Abu Dhabi.
Speaking at a travel industry conference in Melbourne today, Etihad's local national sales manager Wayne Borland said that Perth was “definitely on the radar”, with Adelaide also “on the list”.
The WA capital has long been tipped as Etihad's next Australian port and makes even more sense in light of the airline's alliance with Virgin Australia, which now has three Airbus A330s with business class shuttling daily between Sydney and Perth on its 'Coast to Coast' service.
Still on the drawing board is Etihad's shared lounge with Virgin Australia at Sydney International Airport, although an Etihad spokesman told Australian Business Traveller that "the timing, location and design details for the venture are not confirmed at this stage."
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
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