Etihad Airways’ seasonal network build-out reached its zenith on 19 June 2026 with the launch of twice-weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and Nice. The new EY 37/38 rotation departs the UAE capital every Wednesday and Saturday at 09:15, arriving on the French Riviera just before 15:00 local time. Return sectors leave Nice at 17:15 and arrive in Abu Dhabi shortly after midnight, optimising onward connections across Asia-Pacific. The Nice route is one of nine destinations the carrier has added or reinstated this month, including Krakow, Palma de Mallorca, Zanzibar, Malaga, Mykonos and Santorini. According to Etihad’s network-planning team, overall summer capacity is up 10 percent year-on-year, surpassing pre-conflict seat counts for the first time since February’s regional escalation. For corporate mobility managers, the routing offers a convenient gateway to France’s aerospace cluster in Toulouse as well as Cannes’ year-round MICE calendar. Etihad is marketing special through-fares that combine the Nice sectors with onward codeshares on SNCF’s TGV network, enabling same-day rail connections to Lyon and Paris without back-tracking via Charles de Gaulle. To celebrate the launch, Etihad distributed limited-edition “Summer Essentials” amenity kits on the inaugural flight and filed promotional business-class fares starting at AED 10,995 return. Cargo marketers are equally upbeat; the Boeing 787-9 service adds 12 tonnes of weekly belly capacity ideal for UAE luxury-goods exporters targeting high-net-worth travellers along the Côte d’Azur.
Source: Etihad Airways Newsroom
