Etihad Expands Sydney Flights Amid Capacity Growth

Etihad Airways has increased its flights to Sydney, doubling its daily service to cater to growing demand. The additional flights will operate on Etihad's Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, providing passengers with two departure options every day during the Australian summer holiday period.

The airline has been serving Sydney since 2007 and also operates a daily Abu Dhabi-Melbourne service on a Boeing 787 aircraft. The expansion comes as Etihad accelerates capacity growth after rebuilding its network following disruption earlier this year.

According to Etihad CEO Antonoaldo Neves, the airline had returned to full capacity by July and is seeing strong demand. 'July this year we had 17 per cent more capacity than July last year,' Neves said. 'We made more money July this year than July last year.'

The new Sydney schedule will connect into Etihad's wider network through Abu Dhabi, while passengers traveling beyond Sydney can use Etihad's interline partners Qantas, Jetstar, and Air New Zealand.