Abu Dhabi Airport welcomes first NIKI flight

Abu Dhabi International Airport last night welcomed NIKI Airlines' first flight from Vienna, Austria.
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The inaugural landing was given a water salute shortly after touchdown and Abu Dhabi International Airport held a welcoming ceremony at the arrival gate with the attendance of executives from Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways and NIKI Airlines. A group of Austrian journalists and representatives from NIKI were present on the inaugural flight.

NIKI Airlines has entered into a code share agreement with the national carrier, Etihad Airways. The national carrier will also add its ‘EY’ code to NIKI flights from Vienna to Zurich, Munich and Rome.

The new service operates daily direct flights between Abu Dhabi and Vienna, arriving in AUH at 19.50 and departing at 02.40. Flights with NIKI will be operated by a narrow-body A320 with 12 seats in business and 132 seats in economy class.

Ahmad Al Haddabi, Chief Operations Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Abu Dhabi Airports is pleased to welcome NIKI Airlines to Abu Dhabi as part of our commitment to offering more routes to our travelers while strengthening our links with major European cities. This new service is aimed at passengers travelling both for business as well as for leisure. The timings are geared towards making convenient connections in Abu Dhabi for onward points in the Gulf, Asia and Australia. This agreement serves to reinforce AUH’s position as an international aviation hub, and Abu Dhabi Airports looks forward to offering its world-class services to yet another strategic airline partner.”

Christian Lesjak from NIKI Airlines, said: “We are delighted to commence operations in Abu Dhabi. Its growing status as a major global transportation hub and its increasing attractiveness as a destination both for tourists and business was a major factor in our decision. The transportation infrastructure, spearheaded by Abu Dhabi Airports, is well suited both to our needs and those of our passengers. They can look forward to enjoying the excellent facilities on offer at Abu Dhabi International Airport.”