Etihad Airways has launched daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Kolkata, the airline’s 11th destination in India on its own, and its 15th destination in combination with network partner Jet Airways. Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airways’ General Manager – India, Etihad Airways; Craig Thomas, Regional General Manager Asia Pacific North and Indian Subcontinent (ISC), Etihad Airways; and B P Sharma, Airport Director, Airports Authority of India, hosted a special ribbon cutting upon the inaugural flight’s landing at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport.
Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer, Etihad Airways said, “We are delighted to add Kolkata, an economic powerhouse and Etihad Airways’ first destination in North Eastern India, to our flight network. This new service will support the growing demand from air travellers who are keen to fly between West Bengal and the Middle East, Europe and North America via our Abu Dhabi home base.”
Sharma commented, “We are pleased to welcome Etihad Airways’ world-class service to our city. This will boost the aviation sector and strengthen Kolkata’s cultural and business connections. The service will help to connect passengers from Kolkata to destinations across the Middle East and the rest of the world.”
The service to and from Kolkata conveniently connects with a number of Etihad Airways’ key North American destinations, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Toronto, often providing the fastest journey times in the market. Passengers flying on all Etihad Airways flights from India to the United States are processed through the US Preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi Airport, which means they pass through all US immigration and customs checks in Abu Dhabi and arrive in the US as domestic passengers.
