Qatar’s QR840 departed from Doha Airport at 07:00 local time and landed in Phuket at around 17:40. Etihad’s EY430 left Abu Dhabi Airport at 08:40 and arrived at 18:00.
Etihad’s management team marked the arrival of the first flight with a low-key ceremony attended by local dignitaries. Etihad’s CEO, James Hogan, said Phuket was a logical new destination for the carrier as it already flew to Asian tourism hotspots such as the Maldives and Sri Lanka as well as the Thai capital city of Bangkok.
Etihad’s Abu Dhabi-Phuket service is daily and slashes up to four hours off flight times which involve a change at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. Mr Hogan said the new direct service would offer residents of the United Arab Emirates convenient access to Phuket.
He continued by saying that passengers joining the airline at airports it served in Europe would also find they had seamless connections on to Phuket. Mr Hogan finished off with the claim that people opting to fly Etihad would also enjoy the airline’s unbeatable service while they were en route.
Middle East airlines start direct Phuket routes
News in Asia
Two Middle Eastern Airlines launched direct flight services to the southern Thai island of Phuket on Sunday. The two airlines, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, both operated the inaugural services from their hub airports and landed at Phuket Airport in the early evening.