Etihad to deploy A380 to Mumbai

An A380 will replace the current Boeing 777-300ER being operated on the route, increasing capacity by 50%. Etihad’s A380 features four classes, including its luxury three-room suite ‘The Residence’, with 9 First apartments, 70 Business seats, and 415 Economy.

The new A380 service, one of three daily flights between Mumbai and Abu Dhabi, will connect with Etihad’s A380 service from New York, granting travellers the option to fly on the world’s largest passenger jet from India to New York with Etihad. Flight EY204 will depart Abu Dhabi at 14.10, arriving in Mumbai at 19.20.In the opposite direction, flight EY203 will leave Mumbai at 21.35 and land in Abu Dhabi at 23.25. Etihad currently serves London and Sydney with the A380, and is adding New York later this month and Melbourne next Summer. James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer, said: “Bringing our flagship product to India and to the state of Maharashtra is further proof of our confidence in the Indian market and our commitment to its economy.” India is a rapidly growing market and Etihad Airways is strengthening its foothold by increasing capacity to cities across the country. BusinessClass.co.uk yesterday reported on

Norwegian Airlines' plan to expand its long-haul network

starting with services to Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta from the UK. Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos said,“When the salaries come up in India you will see a huge flow of tourists or people visiting friends and relatives in the UK. You are talking about almost 1.5 billion people and you will see great flows of passengers very soon.”