A record total of 29 new routes launched by the carrier in a single year
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced seven additional new destinations to further expand its network as part of its ongoing strategy to bring more point-to-point traffic directly to Abu Dhabi.
The new destinations–Almaty, Kazakhstan; Baku, Azerbaijan; Bucharest, Romania; Medina, Saudi Arabia; Tbilisi, Georgia; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; and Yerevan, Armenia–will further strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a thriving hub for tourism, culture, and commerce, according to a press communique.
The flights are set to go on sale over the next few days, and services will begin in March 2026, with Medina to start operating in November 2025. These latest additions bring Etihad’s total number of new destinations for 2025 to 29, following earlier announcements of year-round routes and seasonal services.
Stimulating demand
“Our goal is clear; we want to bring more people directly to Abu Dhabi. These new routes connect us to fast-growing, culturally rich regions and will help stimulate demand for tourism and trade in the UAE’s capital,” asserted Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways.
Etihad has already celebrated inaugural flights to four new destinations this year, Prague, Warsaw, Sochi and Atlanta, and is set to add another 13 routes before the year closes.
The announcement comes just days after Etihad unveiled three new seasonal summer destinations for 2026: Krakow in Poland, Salalah in Oman, and Kazan in Russia, all set to operate during the peak travel months.
