Route-data specialist AeroRoutes reports that Etihad has lodged an interim timetable covering 1 May–14 June that restores service to Bahrain, Beirut, Kuwait City and Madinah, while keeping Doha and several African destinations suspended. The filing also details capacity hikes to Atlanta, Dublin and London and trims to Barcelona and Lisbon as the carrier juggles aircraft amid regional detours. Key Gulf routes will see significant boosts: Bahrain resumes at 16 weekly frequencies, Kuwait at 16 weekly and Riyadh rises to four daily. In Europe, Amsterdam jumps to ten weekly flights and Athens to 11, reflecting strong summer corporate demand. North-American growth continues with Boston increasing to five weekly and New York JFK to double-daily. Conversely, Johannesburg, Sochi, Tunis and Doha remain off the board, indicating ongoing political or air-space barriers. The absence of Doha especially limits same-day links between the UAE capital and the 2026 FIFA Arab Cup host, forcing travellers to connect via Muscat or Kuwait. Travel managers should note aircraft swaps that change cabin products: Atlanta downgrades to a 787-9, while Chicago briefly reduces to five weekly before regaining daily status mid-June. Analysts say the dynamic filing pattern is likely to persist until regional skies fully reopen, requiring constant PNR monitoring by mobility teams.
Source: AeroRoutes
