Virgin Blue alliance marks Etihad’s fourth birthday
United Arab Emirates national carrier Etihad Airways celebrated its fourth birthday last week by introducing an interline agreement with Australian operato

United Arab Emirates national carrier Etihad Airways celebrated its fourth birthday last week by introducing an interline agreement with Australian operator Virgin Blue that connects its 45-destination network with 22 Australian cities through Brisbane and Sydney. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad will increase frequency to Sydney from one daily flight to 11 flights a week next March; it flies to Brisbane three times a week.

Etihad expects to carry 4.5 million passengers this year at an average load factor of 68 percent across its fleet, which currently stands at 34 aircraft.  It flies to Africa, Asia/Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and North America.