Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is preparing to celebrate 15 years of service to its largest and busiest market, India.

Etihad launched daily flights between Abu Dhabi, and the Indian city of Mumbai in September 2004, within its first year of operation. Three months later, flights were also launched between Abu Dhabi and New Delhi.

Today, Etihad operates 159 weekly flights to 10 destinations in India including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Through its Abu Dhabi hub, the airline connects each of the Indian gateways to international destinations in the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Since launching operations to the sub-continent, Etihad has carried more than 16.5 million passengers on its Indian routes.

In addition to belly space cargo capacity on passenger aircraft between Abu Dhabi and India, Etihad Cargo operate dedicated freighter flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai.

In line with its Corporate Social Responsibility program, Etihad Airways supports India through a range of initiatives including its Global Education Project to provide or raise funds for new education facilities and supplies.