Etihad Airways has launched its summer network with the airline’s inaugural flight to Nice in the French Riviera.
The new seasonal route between Abu Dhabi and the famous seaside destination landed at Cote d’Azur Airport just after 10am on Wednesday.
There was a celebratory atmosphere in the air and on the ground as pilots waved UAE and French flags from the cockpit of the Boeing Dreamliner.
Travellers on the service were given Etihad bags to mark the launch of the seasonal flight.
The tote bags are crafted from upcycled flight blankets with the message “Hello Summer” imprinted on the front. Each contains a reusable drinks bottle and sparkling water.
Etihad is operating two weekly flights from now until September to the seaside destination via its twin-aisle Boeing 787 jets.
The outbound service from the UAE is an extension of the airline's Rome Fiumicino route, which means passengers need to disembark and go through security in Italy, before reboarding the jet for a short 49-minute flight to Nice.
With the transfer included, the journey takes about nine hours. Return flights are non-stop from Nice to Abu Dhabi, with a much more manageable flight time of just over six hours.
Etihad Captain Driss Moussaoui was in charge of the flight, which had wheels up a little after 3am on Wednesday morning in the UAE.
“I was lucky enough to pilot Etihad’s first flight in 2003 and now I’m proud to be chosen to operate this first flight into the south of France,” he told The National.
With the airline operating to Cote d’Azur Airport for the first time, a lot of preparation went into the trip.
“As with all of our operations, this is very carefully planned. The flight operations team first do a risk assessment on Nice airport and then prepare an airport briefing for the pilots. All pilots do flight simulator training at Etihad’s Training Academy before we actually fly the route,” said Moussaoui.
Summer flights to Santorini and Zanzibar
The newest destination for the national airline of the UAE is one of five seasonal routes that Etihad will operate this summer.
Flights to the historic city of Heraklion in Crete and to the Spanish port city of Malaga also commenced on Wednesday.
Two more destinations are being added to the airline's summer network later this week with flights to the Greek isle of Santorini launching on Thursday and services to Zanzibar starting Friday.
Both of these destinations will be serviced by Etihad’s Airbus A320 jets and will have three round-trip flights per week.
“Summer adventurers have plenty to discover with Etihad this year,” said Martin Drew, the airline's senior vice president of global sales.
“From the stunning beaches of the Costa del Sol to the picture-perfect French Riviera, Etihad’s summer network offers even more opportunities to get away and experience the wonder of travel in 2022.”
Etihad’s new routes mean the airline is now flying to more than 70 destinations around the world.
All five seasonal summer routes will be in operation until mid-September.
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company%20profile
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Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
