Betting big on the US visitors from India, Etihad Airways plans to add more flights from the key Indian cities to Abu Dhabi. The leading international airliner has over 50 per cent of its fliers from India heading to the North USA.

After launching its second flight from Ahmedabad in February, Etihad Airways now plans its third flight from Bengaluru from March 26 and fourth flight from Calicut from April 1.

All flights fly to Abu Dhabi - the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) facilitating the Indian visitors to take a convenient connecting flight to either the US or the Europe.

Neerja Bhatia, Vice President Indian Subcontinent, Etihad Airways, said, "We had started our first flight between Ahmedabad and Abu Dhabi in 2012 and so far we have flown 360,000 passengers. Over 50 per cent of our guests have flown to North America. It continues to be our prime focus and the new flight will connect flights to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Toronto. The second important destination is Europe, followed by Africa."

Ahmedabad is one of 15 destinations served by Etihad Airways.

The convenience of having US immigration and customs clearances at the Abu Dhabi airport itself, provides much convenience for the Indian fliers to the US. This makes the Abu Dhabi route a preferred one for many.

"We operate at the 85 per cent seat factor at present. We already have 182 flights for India every week with two/three flights a day from each location," stated Bhatia.

Etihad Airways’ Indian network includes services from Bengaluru, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.