Etihad Holidays, a division of Etihad Airways, has confirmed it will launch in the UK in order to cater for the growing leisure travel demand to Abu Dhabi, Asia and the Indian Ocean.

The UK is Etihad Holidays’ first venture outside the Middle East, and destinations include China, Malaysia, Maldives, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

Peter Baumgartner, chief commercial officer, Etihad Airways’ said: “It is a proud moment to now take our established Holidays brand internationally to ensure UK holidaymakers can now also benefit from our attractive range of packages.

“Etihad Airways has a strong customer base in the UK, using our three-times-a-day service from Heathrow and double-daily from Manchester as well as regions served by our codeshare partners, so the international expansion of our Holidays operation to this market makes perfect sense.”