Etihad opens new RI office

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), officially opened its new office in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Located on Jalan Sudirman, South Jakarta, the new office will handle sales and all of the airline's other business in Indonesia, manager Geoff Rhodes told reporters following the official opening ceremony.

Since it first commenced operations here last year, Etihad has been flying from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi, UAE, six times a week, and has been carrying about 2,268 passengers per week, representing a 70 percent load factor. The airline plans to increase the number of its flights to Jakarta to eight per week starting Aug. 1, and to 12 per week by the end of the year.

"We actually have the right to fly eight times a week, but at the moment the market is still sluggish. We will increase the number of flights as the market improves," Rhodes said.

Last week, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad established a new route to Sydney, Australia. In July, it will start flying to two more new destinations -- Dublin in Ireland and Milan in Italy.