Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has announced that Mumbai and New Delhi will become its first destinations in India to be served with triple-daily flights, strengthening its unparalleled offering with Jet Airways into and out of the country.

Both cities will be upgraded from their current double-daily frequencies, with the third daily flight to Mumbai starting on Feb. 15 and to New Delhi on May 1, 2015. The development will provide business and leisure travelers with more options throughout the day between the UAE and India, and enhance India’s connections with markets across Etihad Airways’ global network.

Along with Jet Airways’ services, both airlines will connect Abu Dhabi to 14 Indian cities, with over 200 return flights each week. This includes five flights a day to Mumbai; four flights a day to New Delhi; three flights a day to Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi; two flights a day to Ahmedabad and Kozhikode; and daily flights to Jaipur and Thiruvananthapuram.

Etihad Airways will also launch a daily service to Kolkata on Feb. 15 to support its long-term development plan in India, and Jet Airways has announced it will soon launch daily services between Abu Dhabi and Goa, Lucknow and Pune.

Etihad Airways also has upgraded its aircraft on a number of Indian routes, including the debut of three-class, wide-body aircraft on select flights. The airline will also operate its new Boeing 787-9 on Mumbai evening services in January 2015.

James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said: “India is expected to become the world’s third largest air passenger market within the next 20 years, and we are focused on providing travelers with the best possible offering into and out of the country, in terms of world-class service, extensive network coverage and multiple flight options each day.