Etihad Airways to launch Etihad Regional

Etihad Airways announced a ‘step-change in global aviation,’ with the launch of its first branded regional operation, after taking a 33.3% stake in Swiss carrier Darwin Airline. Following completion of the minority investment, which is subject to regulatory approval, Darwin Airline will rebrand its operations as Etihad Regional and align its network to connect passengers from secondary European markets onto the main networks of Etihad Airways and its equity alliance partners. Etihad Airways will also launch daily services on June 1st, 2014 from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, which will become one of Darwin Airline’s main operating hubs.