{"url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-25/etihad-abu-dhabi-calgary-first-flight","markdown_url":"https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-25/etihad-abu-dhabi-calgary-first-flight.md","title":"Etihad Airways Launches First Abu Dhabi-Calgary Flight","headline":"Etihad Airways Opens First Non-Stop Abu Dhabi-Calgary Route With Four Weekly Flights","description":"Etihad Airways launched its first non-stop Abu Dhabi-Calgary flight on October 25, 2026, operating four times weekly on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.","section":"Expansion","published_at":"2026-10-25T14:21:25+00:00","modified_at":"2026-10-25T14:21:25+00:00","author":"News Desk","key_takeaways":["Etihad Airways launched flight EY29 between Abu Dhabi and Calgary on October 25, 2026, its first non-stop service to the city.","The route operates four times weekly on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, with Calgary becoming Etihad's second Canadian destination after Toronto.","Etihad carried 22.4 million passengers in 2025 and reported a post-tax profit of $698 million."],"companies":[{"name":"Etihad Airways","is_primary":true,"profile_url":"https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0003dvh/etihad-airways","website":"http://www.etihad.com/en-us"}],"source":{"publisher":"GulfNews","title":"Etihad makes history with first Abu Dhabi-Calgary flight","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/etihad-makes-history-with-first-abu-dhabi-calgary-flight-1.500722671"},"other_sources":[],"tags":["Expansion","Etihad Airways"],"body_markdown":"Etihad Airways launched the first non-stop flight between Abu Dhabi and Calgary on October 25, 2026, with flight EY29 touching down at Calgary International Airport. The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said the route operates four times weekly on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. [Gulf News](https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/etihad-makes-history-with-first-abu-dhabi-calgary-flight-1.500722671) reported the sold-out inaugural flight was welcomed with a traditional water-cannon salute.\n\n## Calgary Becomes Etihad's Second Canadian Destination\n\nCalgary becomes [Etihad Airways](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0003dvh/etihad-airways)' second Canadian destination and its westernmost gateway, complementing the airline's established Toronto service. The service operates Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday using aircraft with 303 seats across Business and Economy cabins. Outbound flight EY29 departs Abu Dhabi at 2.25am and arrives in Calgary at 7am, while return flight EY30 departs Calgary at 1pm and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 12.55pm the following day.\n\nCaptain Majed Al Marzouqi, Chief Operations and Guest Officer at Etihad Airways, said the inaugural non-stop flight marked another milestone in the airline's global expansion strategy. \"Canada is a very important market for Etihad. We have been flying to Toronto for many years, and we are excited to become the first Gulf carrier to serve a second Canadian city,\" he said. Al Marzouqi said Etihad would initially operate four weekly flights to Calgary, with plans to increase the frequency to daily services, subject to demand.\n\nAntonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, described the launch as an important development for the airline and the two destinations. \"Some routes immediately feel significant, not simply because they connect two destinations, but because of the opportunities they create. Calgary is one of those routes,\" he noted.\n\n## Etihad's Scale And Recent Network Moves\n\nAccording to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Etihad Airways is the national airline of the UAE, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, operating 124 aircraft across 118 destinations with more than 120 codeshare partners. The same records show the carrier reported a post-tax profit of $698 million in 2025 and carried 22.4 million passengers that year, a 21% year-on-year increase. Etihad announced in October 2026 a joint venture with China Eastern Airlines adding five mainland China routes and 28 weekly flights using Boeing 787-9s.\n\n## Earlier Route Launches This Month\n\nEtihad launched nonstop flights between Luxembourg and Abu Dhabi on October 21, operating four times weekly on A321LR aircraft, [EIN Presswire](https://akta.pro/news-signals) reported. On October 6, Gulf News reported Etihad launched direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, with the inaugural Airbus A320 landing on October 4 and the route operating once weekly on Sundays, increasing to twice weekly from October 25. Etihad also said it will increase Abu Dhabi-Damascus flights to daily service from November 14, raising frequency from four to seven weekly flights.\n\n## Next Steps for Etihad Airways\n\nEtihad plans to increase Calgary frequency to daily services subject to demand, the airline said. The carrier also plans to grow its fleet from 124 aircraft to around 250 aircraft.\n","publisher":{"name":"News for Agent","url":"https://newsforagent.com"}}