Etihad Airways launches daily flights to Melbourne

The special reception, held at the Emirates Palace hotel and co-hosted by well-known TV celebrities Dannii Minogue and Joyce Bousader, was attended by His Excellency Jeremy Bruer, the Australian Ambassador to the UAE, members of the UAE's Australian business community and senior Etihad management and staff.

Etihad Airways will launch non-stop daily flights on 29 March to Melbourne from its Abu Dhabi home base.

Speaking at the reception James Hogan, Etihad Airways' chief executive said, "Australia is a key market for our customers and one in which we are keen to develop in the future."

"Our daily flights will provide convenience and choice for business and leisure travellers on one of the youngest aircraft fleets in the world today, connecting passengers from key markets not just in the UAE, but from Lebanon, Egypt, Italy and later Greece and Turkey, to the large ethnic communities in Australia's second largest city," Hogan added.

Melbourne, which has a population of nearly four million people and is the capital of the Australian state of Victoria, will become the third destination in the country to be served by Etihad.

The Australian Embassy in Abu Dhabi estimates there are around nearly 15,000 Australian nationals and more than 300 Australian companies in the UAE. Around a third of all Middle East tourists to Australia are from the UAE.

Etihad Airways will operate a three cabin Airbus A340-600 to Melbourne. It is configured to carry 286 passengers, with 12 in first class, 30 in business class and 244 in economy class.