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ABU DHABI / WAM
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday announced a 63 percent increase in full-year passenger traffic with partner Jet Airways to and from India, reinforcing the strength of the equity tie-up and the airline’s commitment to one of world’s largest travel markets.
Together, the airlines carried a record 3.3 million passengers between Etihad Airways’ Abu Dhabi hub and India in 2015, representing a sharp rise on the 2 million flown during the previous 12 months.
Etihad Airways became the first foreign airline to invest in an Indian carrier under the current Indian Foreign Direct Investment Rules when it invested US$750 million in Jet Airways for a 24 percent equity stake in 2013. Etihad Airways today operates 175 flights each week to and from 11 Indian gateway cities. The combined networks of Etihad Airways and Jet Airways offer over 250 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India.
In terms of the overall international market, they fly between them approximately 20 percent of all worldwide travellers to and from India.