Abu Dhabi Airports will begin to welcome transfer passengers travelling through Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) from 10 June, 2020.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has approved Etihad’s commencement of a limited number of transfer flights connecting 20 destinations via Abu Dhabi International Airport. The resumption of these commercial flights marks the beginning of the resurgence of the UAE’s national aviation sector.
The transfer flights will be allowed to land and depart from Abu Dhabi International Airport, enabling travellers to connect easily through the UAE capital onwards to key global destinations.
H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, commented: “The resumption of transfer flights through Abu Dhabi International Airport marks a significant moment for the national aviation sector. This milestone has been enabled by the effective and swift response of our nation’s wise leadership in implementing comprehensive measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. The UAE is recognised globally as a transfer hub of choice, enabling passengers from around the world to travel with convenience and ease. With this initial step, we begin the process of restarting commercial air travel, contributing to the region’s economic recovery following COVID-19.”
“We have made extensive preparations to welcome back increasing amounts of passengers to our airports, and we have worked with our longstanding partner, Etihad Airways, to implement comprehensive health and safety measures across our facilities. The welfare of passengers and our employees remains our top priority, and we continue to work with the relevant aviation authorities in the UAE to ensure their safety whilst travelling through Abu Dhabi.”
Commencing on 10 June, Etihad will operate easy transfer connections via Abu Dhabi from Jakarta, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo to major cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, London Heathrow, Madrid, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Zurich.
Throughout the month of June, Etihad will also continue to operate a network of special flights from Abu Dhabi to previously announced destinations across its international network.
Abu Dhabi Airports has implemented an extensive range of preventative measures at Abu Dhabi International Airport, which include nasal swabbing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, as well as new robotic and autonomous sterilisation technologies that compliment other measures recommended by the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP).
Commercial passenger flights in and out of the UAE were suspended by the GCAA on March 25, 2020 in order to contain the spread of COVID-19. Since that time, Abu Dhabi International Airport has supported special cargo and repatriation flights, continuing to support the national economic and global humanitarian efforts.
