More flights from Middle East to Melbourne
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2 April 2009
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In a boost for international airline services to Victoria, more than 200,000 additional seats will be available annually on United Arab Emirates airline Etihad’s flights between the Middle East and Melbourne.
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Victorian Industry and Trade Minister Martin Pakula welcomed Etihad’s new daily non-stop flights, which commenced this week, saying the Victorian Government had worked closely with Etihad and Melbourne Airport to introduce the new Abu Dhabi to Melbourne service.
“Increasing the number of direct international flights to Melbourne is vital if we want to keep expanding trade and investment in the state.
“Etihad’s new service will also provide 125 tonnes in new weekly freight capacity for Australian exporters to the Middle East.
“Etihad’s home base, the United Arab Emirates, provided 41,800 visitor arrivals for the year ending January 2009, an increase of 23 per cent over the previous year.
“Middle East (and North Africa) visitor numbers are forecast to grow around 10 percent annually to 2017, generating around 222,000 Middle East visitors to Australia over the next decade.
“And the Middle East is also becoming an increasingly popular transit hub for Europeans travelling to Asia and the Pacific – who account for 30 per cent of international visitors to Victoria.
Melbourne Airport’s Airline Business Manager, Carl Jones, said: “Twenty-two percent of our total passenger traffic is to and from European destinations. The importance of these new flights to Victoria cannot be understated – it is a major win for our state.
“Etihad’s services to Abu Dhabi and beyond will provide some of the best direct access to European markets such as Dublin, Geneva and Munich. Moves such as these are enhancing the strong business and tourism links between Victoria and the United Arab Emirates,” he said.
This is the latest in series of aviation wins for Victoria, including new services by Qatar Airways, V Australia, Pacific Blue, AirAsia X and increased services by Emirates and Philippine Airlines. |
