Casablanca, Kingdom of Morocco – Etihad Airways has introduced the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its daily service from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to Casablanca, the Kingdom of Morocco’s largest city and commercial hub.
On
arrival in Casablanca, the aircraft was greeted with a traditional water cannon
salute.
Etihad
Airways also chose to celebrate the occasion, and its commitment to the
Moroccan travel market, with a special dinner held in Casablanca. Guests
included diplomats, dignitaries, media representatives, Moroccan corporate
partners, travel trade, and senior members of Etihad Airways’ management team.
Mohammad
Al Bulooki, Executive Vice President Commercial, Etihad Airways, said: “The introduction of
the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the Abu Dhabi to Casablanca route demonstrates our
clear commitment to the very important Moroccan market.
“Travellers between
the two cities will now be able to experience the unparalleled levels of
comfort, entertainment and inflight connectivity of this next-generation
aircraft, and to seamlessly connect through the Abu Dhabi hub to our network
across the Gulf, Asia and Australia.
“More
importantly, we are here to celebrate the special relationship between the United
Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Morocco – a relationship which is deep-rooted
in language, shared values, tourism and trade.”
Etihad
Airways’ three-class version of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner features 8 private
First Suites, 28 Business Studios and 199 Economy Smart Seats.
The
introduction of the aircraft has seen a scheduling change which optimises timings for customers
travelling to and from Casablanca. Etihad Airways maintains a morning arrival
into Casablanca, the only early service from the UAE, and now operates a
revised mid-morning return flight that provides an earlier, more convenient
evening arrival time in Abu Dhabi, also improving connectivity to a wider
network of destinations including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo.
To
meet summer peak travel demand, Etihad Airways has also added a third weekly
service to the Moroccan capital, Rabat. The extra flight will operate on
Saturdays until 12 May, and also from 30 June to 29 September.
Etihad
Airways operates a codeshare partnership with Royal Air Maroc (RAM), providing
its customers with onward connections onto the Moroccan flag carrier’s services
from Casablanca to Agadir, Marrakech and Tangier, and pending approvals, to the
West African cities of Abidjan, Conakry and Dakar. Royal Air Maroc codeshares on Etihad Airways operated
flights to and from Abu Dhabi to Casablanca and Rabat.
New
Boeing 787 Dreamliner schedule to Casablanca:
Effective 1 May 2018 (timings
local):
Flight No.
|
Origin
|
Dep
|
Dest
|
Arr
|
Aircraft
|
Freq
|
EY613
|
Abu Dhabi
|
02:45
|
Casablanca
|
08:10
|
Boeing 787-9
|
Daily
|
EY612
|
Casablanca
|
09:55
|
Abu Dhabi
|
20:25
|
Boeing 787-9
|
Daily
|