Airberlin will introduce a second daily flight between Berlin and Abu Dhabi, as passenger numbers between the two cities increase.
The German carrier, 29 per cent-owned by Etihad Airways, offers the only direct connection between Abu Dhabi and Berlin. The second flight will commence on October 26.
Etihad Airways and airberlin will also expand their codeshare agreement from the middle of this month to India, the companies said in a joint statement.
Airberlin passengers will be able to book flights to six Indian destinations served by Etihad. These are: New Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Subsequently, passengers in India can fly to airberlin routes in European in cities such as Copenhagen, Krakow, Stockholm and Warsaw.
“The partnership between Etihad Airways and airberlin continues to move from strength to strength, with 560,000 passengers flying across our two networks in 2013, a 74 per cent increase on the previous year,” said James Hogan, the president and chief executive of Etihad.
Besides airberlin, Etihad owns stakes in Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia, Air Serbia, Ireland’s Aer Lingus, India’s Jet Airways, and Etihad Regional — formally known as Darwin Airline.
Etihad is currently conducting the final stages of due diligence to acquire a stake in Alitalia, the troubled Italian carrier.
The Abu Dhabi carrier is also holding talks with Alitalia’s banks in Rome, Reuters reported yesterday.
The carrier’s aggressive growth plans include adding more than 30 routes by 2020.
This year Etihad will fly to 102 destinations. It is also expecting 20 aircraft deliveries, which will include 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A380s.
At November’s Dubai Airshow, Etihad announced 199 new orders from Boeing and Airbus.
Separately, Etihad Cargo and the logistics provider DHL agreed to share their capacity using a five times per week freighter operated by DHL.
The freighter will operate from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi then fly to Bagram, Lahore, and Karachi in Pakistan—then back to Abu Dhabi to connect with Etihad Cargo destinations worldwide.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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