Etihad Airways is to begin non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Milan from September 2, 2007.

The new three times a week service will connect Italy's financial, industrial and fashion centre and the UAE capital using an Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

As part of the airline's promotional campaign leading up to the launch of the new service, Etihad is offering some of the lowest priced fares ever to Milan, with return coral zone (economy) tickets starting from just AED2,170.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways' chief executive, said: "As Etihad's first direct link with the Italian market, we are confident that the new Milan service will be very well received by business and leisure travellers alike.

"In addition to providing a direct route to the UAE, our Italian passengers will benefit from Etihad's expanding global network of destinations, with convenient onward connections across the Middle East, South Africa and the Asia-Pacific region proving especially popular."

With Europe one of the key growth areas in terms of travel to all seven Emirates - including Etihad's base of Abu Dhabi as well as Dubai, just a 60-minute drive away - the flight has been introduced as a direct response to the increasing demand from Italian travellers, Europe's fifth largest outbound travel market.

Flight Information

From September 2, Etihad flight EY081 will operate Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing Abu Dhabi at 2.25am and arriving in Milan at 7.05am. The return service, EY088 departs Milan on the same days at 12.45pm, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 8.55pm. All times are local.

The A330-200 aircraft will be configured to carry 10 passengers in first, 26 in business and 164 in economy class.