Popular with Cypriots to Australia, South Africa
Barely a year into its operation to Cyprus and Etihad Airways is already enjoying a steady growth in its business with plans to add a fourth schedule to its weekly flights from Abu Dhabi.
Furthermore, the airline is currently testing a quick and efficient way to issue ‘guest’ visas for visitors to the emirate, making the UAE’s capital an attractive stopover and final destination, beyond its success as a transit connection hub.
From Cyprus, Etihad has proven successful for travel to Australia and South Africa, while outbound traffic to Asian destinations is also gaining ground.
In an interview with the Financial Mirror, Lorna Dalziel, Etihad’s Country Manager in Cyprus said that the airline commenced operations from Larnaca to Abu Dhabi in June 2009, with a three-flights-a-week service for business and leisure travellers.
“One area of considerable growth has been serving the Cypriot communities around the world, especially in Australia and South Africa. Despite the challenges felt across the world in 2009, Etihad grew its passenger numbers to and from Cyprus and awareness of the brand has grown month-on-month,” Dalziel said.
“For 2010, we hope to increase our flights to four times per week, driving business to key destinations that are popular with the Cypriot community, including Australia, India and the Arabian Gulf countries,” she added.
According to Dalziel, launching the Larnaca-Abu Dhabi flights was very exciting for the airline as Cyprus is renowned across the world as a leading tourist destination.
“Etihad flies to more than 60 destinations across the world, which vary considerably but we worked hard to ensure that our key messages were communicated to consumers in Cyprus which was the strength of our product and service, the growth of our Abu Dhabi hub and the excellent connections to cities around the world,” she explained.
The airline operates a two-class service to Larnaca on board its Airbus A320, the Pearl Business and the Coral Economy, both of which are enhanced with the “Inspired Service” experience that include additional support for families during boarding and meal services, children’s travel packs, new menus with tasty and generous portions, as well as hot/cold café services.
CONNECTIONS
As regards the final destination of outbound traffic from Larnaca and the source of passenger traffic to Larnaca, Dalziel explained that the airline has “great connectivity to many destinations through our hub in Abu Dhabi, but the majority of our customers out of Larnaca connect onwards to Australia, China, India, South Africa, the Far East and other destinations in the Gulf. Similarly our inbound traffic originates from the same countries due to the excellent connectivity and short transit time in Abu Dhabi.”
Despite Etihad breaking into a market already served by other carriers, the airline’s Cyprus Manager is not concerned about competition directly or indirectly into Larnaca.
Asked about the arrival of Kuwait’s Jazeera on the Larnaca-Beirut route, a traditional market served by the national carriers, or even Emirates’ flights to and from Malta, via Larnaca, Dalziel said simply, “Etihad is committed to direct flights from Abu Dhabi to Larnaca and doesn’t currently have plans to alter this strategy.”
VISAS
Looking back, she said that Etihad’s business has been running smoothly since June last year. One key issue was the visa application process for Cypriots travelling to Abu Dhabi.
“We are currently testing the new procedure and hope to be ‘live’ within the next two weeks. The new process is quick and efficient and will make the ‘Guest Visa’ application experience completely hassle-free. This new procedure is already in place in South Africa and is working extremely well, so, we also look forward now to rolling it out to our guests in Cyprus,” Dalziel said.
The introduction of a new airport terminal building at Larnaca has also helped raise interest for traffic to Cyprus.
“The new airport terminal building has certainly impressed our customers, as well as enhanced their travel experience. It is vital that a destination like Larnaca has an airport terminal that reflects its position as a top tourist destination, not just for passengers but also from an operational perspective,” Dalziel added.
As regards promotional activity, she said that Etihad’s sponsorship strategy continues to grow and the airline enjoys partnerships with several leading clubs, competitions and arenas including Manchester City FC, the Ferrari F1 team and the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Other sponsorships include the All Ireland Hurling Championships, Chelsea Football Club, Harlequins Rugby Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Championships and Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.
“We always look to involve our customers – especially Etihad Guest loyalty programme members – with our partnerships and offer special promotional deals,” Dalziel concluded.
