Eithad to serve Istanbul from June

Istanbul will become Etihad’s 54tth destination world-wide and is the third new route to be inaugurated this year.

The flag carrier’s chief executive James Hogan said: “Istanbul represents our second confirmed new European destination to be launched in 2009 and demonstrates the increasing importance of this market to our airline.

“Trade links between the UAE and Turkey have grown substantially in recent years and we anticipate strong demand between these two important commercial centres. The new route will also provide convenient onward connections to some of the well-established Turkish communities served by our global network, notably Sydney and Melbourne.”