New Dublin-Perth route announced

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is to commence flights from Dublin to Perth, western Australia from July 15 th next year.

The airline will offer six weekly flights from Dublin to Perth with a connection at its Abu Dhabi hub.

The Abu Dhabi-Perth sector will be operated by an Airbus A330-200 aircraft with 262 seats in two classes – 22 seats in Pearl Business Class and 240 in Coral Economy Class.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways' president and chief executive officer, said the flights to Perth would bring new airline competition to the popular route.

“Our flights from Dublin to Perth will offer Irish travellers an unprecedented choice of travel options with the convenience of seamless connections in Abu Dhabi,” he said, noting that approximatley 32 per cent of all Irish visitors are choosing Perth as their gateway to Australia.

Mr Hogan said Irish travellers would benefit from Etihad Airways' partnership with full-service airline Virgin Australia whose regional network offers flights to 14 towns and cities throughout Western Australia, including Albany, Broome, Busselton, Derby, Esperance, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Etihad Airways already flies 10 times weekly to Sydney, four times weekly to Brisbane and six times weekly to Melbourne.