Etihad Airways will commence four flights per week from Abu Dhabi to Bengaluru on January 1, 2011. The airline will begin daily flights to Bengaluru at the commencement of summer scheduling season effective March 27, 2011. Etihad Airways will operate a two class A320 on the new Bengaluru route configured to carry 136 passengers with 16 in Business Class and 120 in Economy Class.

From January 1, 2011 Etihad Airways flight EY286 to Bengaluru will depart Abu Dhabi on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10.15 pm and arrive at Bengaluru International Airport at 3.25 am the following day. The return flight, EY287, will depart Bengaluru on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 4.20 am and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 7.00 am the same day.

From March 27, 2011 Etihad Airways flight EY286 will depart Abu Dhabi daily at 10.15 pm and arrive in Bengaluru at 3.45 am the following day. The return service, EY287, will depart Bengaluru daily at 4.45 am and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 7.00 am the same day.

With the addition of Bengaluru, Etihad Airways will fly to eight Indian destinations including the cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad and Kochi. Once the service to Bengaluru begins, the airline will operate 49 flights to India per week, and following the commencement of the daily services, it will offer 52 services per week.

James Hogan, Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Airways said, "We are delighted to launch our new service to Bengaluru and to serve our customers in Karnataka. Etihad Airways is committed to serving the Indian market and people, whether it is Indian nationals who are residing in India or in countries across the world. Abu Dhabi and Bengaluru are both growing cities, emerging as major economic hubs and the new service will further enable commercial ties to develop between India and the UAE."

Commenting on the launch of the new service, Marcel Hungerbuehler, President, Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) said, "Our focus has always been on ensuring that we provide our passengers with better connectivity between Bengaluru and the rest of the world. We are thrilled with the introduction of Etihad Airways service and congratulate the entire team for introducing the service to Bengaluru. The new services will take us a step closer to achieving our vision of becoming the international gateway to the South of India, as well as enabling us to offer passengers more travel options and cabin classes to choose from."