ABU DHABI- In September 2024, UAE-based carrier, Etihad (EY), will capitalize on the significant demand for travel between India and America in a substantial manner.
While the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub, Zayed International Airport, has long offered a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility, allowing travelers to clear US immigration and customs upon departure (thus bypassing lengthy queues upon arrival), it is now making significant changes to capture a larger share of the lucrative India-US market.
Etihad Targets Indian Passengers for US
Recently, Zayed Airport unveiled a new terminal, with the US CBP currently situated in the old terminal.
“This September, the CBP will relocate to the new terminal, which will feature, among other amenities, a dedicated lounge for first and business class passengers, especially for those pre-cleared for US travel,” explained Arik De, Etihad’s chief revenue & commercial officer, in conversation with TOI.
“Furthermore, we have strengthened our partnerships with two US carriers—American Airlines and JetBlue. This means our pre-cleared passengers will enjoy seamless connections to numerous cities in the US, with transit times as short as 45 minutes after disembarking from our flights. Additionally, baggage will be through-checked to the final destination, eliminating the need for passengers to retrieve their luggage upon initial arrival in the US, and the same applies on the return journey.”
“With all the formalities completed before departure, you can retrieve your luggage upon landing in the US and proceed immediately. Abu Dhabi hosts the only CBP facility in the Middle East.”
Arik De
US Routes
Etihad presently serves New York (JFK), Chicago, Boston, and Washington. It aims to double its presence in the US before the decade concludes.
Leveraging its pre-clearance advantage, Etihad is strategically targeting the Indian market to boost its flights to and from the US—an arena where its counterparts, Emirates (EK) and Qatar Airways (QR), hold significant sway.
Etihad stands out among Gulf carriers for its available capacity, known as bilaterals, for additional flights to India.
“Abu Dhabi currently has 50,000 weekly seats to India, of which approximately 42,000 seats, in collaboration with Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, are utilized. We are increasing our flights to Bengaluru (from 14 to 18 weekly), and Kolkata (from 7 to 8 weekly), and commencing four times weekly service to Jaipur on June 16. The subsequent phase of expansion in India is scheduled for January-March 2025 when we acquire more aircraft,” disclosed Arik De, a Kolkata native who holds a prominent position as one of the first professionals of Indian origin to ascend to top roles at a leading Gulf carrier.
India: Market for All
Etihad is implementing further adjustments to appeal to a larger Indian passenger base. For instance, they’ve made a change that differs from the practice of most Gulf carriers—typically, they don’t source meals from India for return flights, as meals for both the outbound and return routes are usually loaded at their hubs only.
“Out of the 11 cities in India that we operate flights to, meals are now being sourced from 8-9 of them within India itself. This ensures that we serve freshly prepared meals to passengers traveling from India to Abu Dhabi.”
Arik De
With a crew comprising predominantly Indians, Moroccans, and Romanians, Etihad boasts a workforce totaling 5,000-6,000 members.
De doesn’t perceive the long-term strategies of IndiGo (6E), which has recently invested in wide-body aircraft, or the expansion plans of Air India (AI), as direct challenges to Etihad.
“In a country with over 1.3 billion inhabitants and a thriving economy like India, it’s only natural for major airlines to emerge. There will always be a market for both nonstop services—such as those offered by Air India across a wide network, and those soon to be offered by IndiGo. Take the Mumbai-London route, for example, which is served by nonstop flights from Air India, Vistara (UK), British Airways (BA), and Virgin Atlantic (VS). Yet, we still maintain a 12% market share on that route,” De explained.
Currently operating with a fleet of 90 aircraft, Etihad aims to expand its fleet to 165-170 planes by 2030, encompassing both wide-body and narrow-body aircraft.
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