Condor Launches Daily Frankfurt to Abu Dhabi Flights Under Etihad Codeshare

The route is flown with Condor's Airbus A330neo aircraft and stops in Abu Dhabi before continuing to Bangkok. With the new service and Condor's recently announced Berlin flights, also run as a codeshare with Etihad, there are now 49 weekly flights between Germany and Abu Dhabi, the airport operator said.

For Abu Dhabi, Germany is a core tourism market, and the route adds a second German gateway through Condor. For Etihad, the codeshare feeds passengers from a large European hub into its network without the carrier flying the route itself, while Condor gains a stopover point between Europe and Asia.

Carsten Nørland, chief commercial officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said the Frankfurt and Berlin services together would widen travel choices and support tourism growth. Haitham Al Khamis, acting director of tourism products development at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, called Germany "a cornerstone market for the emirate".

Condor chief executive Peter Gerber said Abu Dhabi had become "an important new destination" in the airline's network, and that the Etihad partnership offered onward travel to Bangkok and destinations across Etihad's routes. Wei Jin, Etihad's interim chief revenue and commercial officer, said linking the two carriers' networks would give customers more options between Europe, Abu Dhabi and beyond.

The launch comes as Gulf airlines adjust to weaker international travel to the region. Emirates Group reported on Thursday that its half-year profit fell by about two-thirds, and Emaar said UAE hotel occupancy dropped as fewer international visitors arrived. Neither Abu Dhabi Airports nor Condor gave passenger targets or fares for the new route.