Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, will connect the Middle East to the Scottish capital with the launch this week of daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is Etihad Airways’ first Scottish destination, and its third point in the UK, alongside a triple-daily operation to London Heathrow and double-daily flights to Manchester.

The new service is operated with a two-class Airbus A330-200 aircraft, offering a total of 22 seats in Business Class and 240 seats in Economy Class. It will provide connections through the Abu Dhabi hub to the Middle East, Indian Sub-Continent, Asia and Australia.

Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer, Etihad Airways, said: “Scotland is the natural next step on our growth trajectory in the UK, with strong tourism and business traffic in both directions. We have been impressed by the welcome we have received from Edinburgh Airport and from the Scottish tourism industry. Many local stakeholders have played a part in attracting us to the city and welcoming us here, and we’re confident this service will be a great success. As the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi also an important business and financial hub across many industry sectors.”

From a business and trade perspective, the UAE is already a primary trade partner for Scotland in the Middle East region. For leisure customers, Edinburgh is a tourist draw.

Scottish Enterprise figures show that the Middle East is the second largest international market for Scottish oil and gas exports, valued at 2 billion pounds, so areas across Scotland such as Aberdeen will be a target for the new service. The aircraft will offer a 168-ton cargo capacity per week, with oil and gas equipment expected to be transported to destinations served by the airline’s cargo division in Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Australia and regions in Africa.