MANAMA, 23 August 2004 — Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ official carrier, is negotiating with Saudi authorities to offer a destination to the Kingdom, it was revealed yesterday.
Head of regional and international relations at Etihad Airways, Khalid Al-Muharabi, who headed the delegation that arrived at Bahrain International Airport on board an inaugural flight said that the airline was planning to acquire eight 330, 340 and 380 Airbus planes.
“We hope to have 16 destinations available to our customers by the end of the year,” he said. “It is a tremendous responsibility, that is why we strive to meet the highest standards of service,” he said.
He added that Bahrain was Etihad’s first GCC destination and that he hoped to add other GCC destinations soon.
He indicated that they were negotiating with the Saudi authorities to offer a destination to the Kingdom.
Al-Muharabi and his delegation were received by the director of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, Mohammed Ahmed Jaman, and United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Bahrain, Abdulaziz ibn Hadif Al Shamsi, Bahraini airport officials and other dignitaries.
Jaman said the inauguration of the destination would allow travelers more choices and strengthen the relationship between the two countries and their people.
“This is also a reflection of the open air policy to allow more companies to fly to Bahrain in the next five years,” he said.
Meanwhile, sources said that three and a half million travelers had used Bahrain International Airport so far this year with the number expected to reach 5.5 million by the end of the year with Etihad, the 35th scheduled airline to fly into Bahrain, starting regular operations. The figures represent a 25 percent increase from last year when 4.2 million travelers used the airport.
