V Australia Launches Sydney - Abu Dhabi Flights

[HD video below] The Australia-based Virgin Blue Group of Airlines has launched V Australia flights between Sydney and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

The new V Australia Abu Dhabi service is a key part of the partnership between Virgin Blue Group and Etihad Airways which will see the airlines offer a total of 27 weekly services between Abu Dhabi and Australia - including double-daily services between Abu Dhabi and Sydney, daily Melbourne - Abu Dhabi flights and six frequencies per week between Abu Dhabi and Brisbane.

 “Etihad Airways has been doing a great job of promoting Abu Dhabi as a budding destination for Australian tourists and a stepping stone to Europe and beyond. Having a home-grown Australian airline offer services to the Middle East will build upon those efforts and help to increase the profile of the UAE in Australia,” said Virgin Blue CEO and Managing Director, John Borghetti. “In addition to offering customers more flights to and from Australia, our partnership with Etihad Airways will provide access to Virgin Blue’s extensive Australian domestic network and Pacific Blue’s network in New Zealand, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. This means that Etihad and V Australia guests will be able to earn frequent flyer points and status credits on our networks and receive reciprocal lounge and service benefits.”

Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer James Hogan, added, “V Australia is the first Australian airline ever to serve the United Arab Emirates. That is no small matter, and is certainly a reflection of the growing strength and relevance of the Australia-UAE relationship. In partnering with Virgin Blue, Etihad is supporting the Government of Abu Dhabi’s vision for the emirate by generating stronger inbound business and leisure traffic flows.”

V Australia now operates three Sydney-Abu Dhabi services per week and will offer three Brisbane-Abu Dhabi services per week by February 2012, using its new fleet of three-class economically and environmentally efficient Boeing 777-300ERs.

VA29 will fly from Sydney to Abu Dhabi on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing at 16:05 and VA30 will fly from Abu Dhabi to Sydney on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, departing at 10:45.

Why visit Abu Dhabi? At the ITB Asia last year in Singapore, we asked Gillian Taylor, the Business Events Manager of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, this question. Watch the video below:

We also spoke with Mr Lee L. Tabler, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development & Investment Company:

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