Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways to start...

New non-stop service to Russia’s largest resort city set to debut in May

Etihad Airways, the UAE’s national carrier, is increasing its connectivity to Russia with the launch of a new service between Abu Dhabi and Sochi, Russia's largest resort city located on the Black Sea.

Known globally as the host of the 2014 Winter Olympics and nationally as the Russian Riviera, Sochi is a year-round destination that features pebble beaches, neoclassical architecture, lush parks, including the palm-filled Arboretum, and the world’s northwestern-most tea plantations.

Sochi also serves as a gateway to the Caucasus Mountains for skiing and snowboarding in winter and swimming in waterfalls and natural pools in summer.

Starting 29 May 2025, a new non-stop service will link Abu Dhabi and Sochi with flights three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Flights will depart Zayed International Airport (AUH) at 09:00, arriving in Sochi (AER) at 12:20. The return service will leave AER at 14:10, landing in AUH at 19:00 local time.

The service will be operated using the Airbus A320 featuring eight seats in business class and 150 in economy.

The move reflects the growing importance of both Russian tourism in the UAE and the popularity of Abu Dhabi as a destination.

From January to October 2024, the UAE capital welcomed 4.8 million hotel guests, achieving a 26% increase in international visitors from key source markets, including Russia. According to the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, there was an 11% uptick in Russian tourists to Abu Dhabi in the first half of 2024, making the UAE the second-most visited nation by Russian travellers.

Recently, Air Arabia expanded services between the UAE and Russia with two non-stop services, one linking Ras Al Khaimah and Moscow and offering flights three times a week, and one linking Abu Dhabi with Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia.

Sochi is one of 14 destinations being added to Etihad’s network in 2025, taking the total to 100. Those include Warsaw and Prague (June), Al Alamein and Atlanta (July), Taipei (September), Medan, Phnom Penh and Krabi (October), and Tunis, Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, Hanoi and Algiers (November).

Recently, Etihad increased its new service to Atlanta due to high demand. Launching with four weekly flights from 2 July 2025, the service will run daily from 1 November.

For more information, visit www.etihad.com

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