Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), today announced the addition of a second daily direct flight from its Abu Dhabi hub to Rome, effective 25 March 2018. The new service will take the total number of Etihad Airways' flights on the route to 14 a week.

The additional frequencies will be introduced in phases, beginning 25 March 2018, with five extra weekly flights, rising to a twice-a-day service from 1 May 2018.

The double-daily schedule will provide greater choice to local passengers travelling between the capital cities of the UAE and Italy, and further increase connectivity to and from both countries.

The new early morning departure from Abu Dhabi and midday return service from Rome will offer links to popular cities across Australia, China, Japan and Korea.

With the additional service, Etihad Airways' frequency between Abu Dhabi and its two Italian gateways of Rome and Milan will increase from two flights to three flights a day.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer, said: "Ensuring our guests have greater flexibility and more travel options is a focus for Etihad Airways. Since we launched the Abu Dhabi-Rome route in 2014, it has become one of our most popular services for business and leisure travellers. We are therefore delighted to further develop the route with additional services."

Etihad Airways' codeshare partner Alitalia has announced that it will discontinue the operation of its daily flight between Rome and Abu Dhabi from 25 March 2018. Alitalia will however continue to codeshare with Etihad and will also place its code on the new Etihad flights. Guests holding reservations on Alitalia flights between Rome and Abu Dhabi and beyond will be re-accommodated on services operated by Etihad Airways.

Flight schedule between Abu Dhabi and Rome from 25 March 2018:

Note: All departures and arrivals are listed in local time.

+ denotes next day

*Tuesday and Thursday services will operate from 1 May 2018

Contributed by Etihad Airways