Etihad Airways will begin flying to Red Sea International Airport from October 4, 2026, making it the airline’s sixth destination in Saudi Arabia and its first route to the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
The service starts at one flight per week before rising to two weekly flights from October 25, 2026. The route operates year-round on an Airbus A320 configured with eight Business seats and 150 in Economy. Flight time from Abu Dhabi is just over three hours.
The Red Sea destination sits along Saudi Arabia’s north-western coastline in Tabuk Province, where more than ninety islands lie above reef systems that form part of one of the largest coral systems in the world.
The airport sits inside the destination itself, which Etihad says means guests reach their hotels quickly after landing rather than facing a long ground transfer.
“The kind of holiday people normally take a long-haul flight for – islands, reefs and relaxation – is now a short flight from Abu Dhabi and a single connection from anywhere across our network. We are always looking ahead to where our guests will want to travel next and making sure we are there early. The Red Sea is exactly that kind of destination, and it is an easy one to reach: the holiday starts on the day guests arrive, not the day after,” Antonoaldo Neves, Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer said in a statement.
Etihad is positioning the route as both a standalone destination and a two-stop option. Travellers connecting through Abu Dhabi can extend their journey using the airline’s Abu Dhabi Stopover programme before continuing to the Saudi coast. The airline says the route will be bookable as a single connection for passengers across the Gulf and the Indian subcontinent.
The Red Sea joins Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina and Al Qassim on Etihad’s Saudi network. Flights are available to book now.
