Etihad Airways has launched non-stop flights from its home base in Abu Dhabi to Düsseldorf, Germany. Flight EY 23 touched down on schedule at the North Rhine Westphalia earlier, greeted by a traditional water cannon salute on arrival.

Etihad Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with Hainan Airlines, the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s first codeshare with a Chinese carrier and its 35th with world airlines. Subject to regulatory approvals, from January 10th 2012, Hainan Airline’s will place its ‘HU’ code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and the airline’s three gateway cities in China: Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai.

Etihad Airways has successfully reduced carbon emissions by a combined total of nine tonnes on two flights from Australia to Abu Dhabi. The savings were made as a result of cooperation between Etihad Airways and various air traffic control centres on the ground that enabled the aircraft, two Airbus A340s, to fly routes that took advantage of prevailing jet streams.

Qualified chefs are now onboard Etihad Airways flights to London, Sydney, Melbourne and Paris and will be progressively introduced across all other first class destinations by early 2012. Eithad Airways is considered the World’s Leading Airline by the World Travel Awards.

Abu Dhabi has witnessed the opening of the Annual General Meeting of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation at Emirates Palace – the leading hotel in the region. The event was hosted by kind invitation of Etihad Airways, with the carrier represented by its chief executive James Hogan, who will take the position of chairman during the event.

Etihad Airways – recognised as the World’s Leading Airline by the World Travel Awards - continues to build its presence in Russia with the expansion of the commercial agreement with S7 Airlines. S7 Airlines is Russia’s fastest growing airline and the country’s largest domestic carrier.