Etihad to fly double daily between Abu Dhabi-Sydney

The airline has added four more weekly flights to the current ten, giving guests a choice of two departures every day of the week, all on the Etihad Airbus A350, and over 5,000 seats a week between the two cities.

Etihad Airways will fly double daily between Abu Dhabi and Sydney from December 15, 2026, in time for the Australian summer holidays.

Serving Sydney since 2007, the airline has added four more weekly flights to the current ten, giving guests a choice of two departures every day of the week, all on the Etihad Airbus A350, and over 5,000 seats a week between the two cities.

For Australians, the second daily flight means more of Abu Dhabi within reach, a morning at the Louvre Abu Dhabi or the new Zayed National Museum, an afternoon on the Saadiyat sand, an evening in the old fort at Qasr Al Hosn, and a Formula 1 weekend at Yas Marina in December. Guests connecting through Abu Dhabi can add a complimentary hotel stay of one or two nights with the Abu Dhabi Stopover programme, which now includes Al Ain, the UAE’s oasis city, with its UNESCO-listed gardens, forts and the Jebel Hafeet mountain. Beyond Abu Dhabi, the extra flights open more of Etihad’s network across the Gulf and the wider Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Europe.

For guests travelling to Sydney from across the Etihad network, the second daily flight opens up more of Australia and New Zealand beyond Sydney, with onward connections on Etihad’s interline partners Qantas, Jetstar and Air New Zealand. For guests in New South Wales, the two departures line up with airline’s morning and evening banks in Abu Dhabi, with same-day connections across the Gulf and onward to Zurich and Geneva, Milan and Rome, Frankfurt, Munich and Düsseldorf, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Barcelona, London and Manchester, and Dublin.

Arik De, Etihad Airways Chief Revenue & Commercial Officer, said: “Double daily flights give our guests even greater flexibility when travelling between Australia and Etihad’s growing global network. The additional service strengthens connectivity through Abu Dhabi, creating more seamless access to destinations across the Middle East and Europe, while making it easier for travellers to experience Abu Dhabi and discover everything the emirate has to offer as part of their journey.”

Etihad’s Australian network also includes daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Melbourne on the Boeing 787.