Etihad Airways has announced plans to launch scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi and Baku, the capital city of the Republic of Azerbaijan, from the 2nd of March 2018. Baku, which sits on the Caspian Sea, is the country’s primary gateway and commercial centre.
The new route is being introduced to capitalise on the strong and growing demand for flights between the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan. The service will be operated three times a week using a 136-seat Airbus A320, configured with 16 seats in Business Class and 120 in Economy.
Azerbaijan introduced a visa waiver programme for UAE nationals in November 2015 and expanded it to other GCC nations in early 2016. This prompted a surge in travel from across the GCC to the emerging tourist destination located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, which offers visitors access to vast areas of unspoiled nature and centuries-old culture.