Etihad has started flying from Abu Dhabi (Zayed International) to Red Sea International Airport in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk Province. The first flight, an Airbus A320, landed at 12:05 on Sunday 4 October 2026, Gulf News reports.
The route opened with one flight a week. From 25 October it goes to two, according to the state news agency WAM (via Zawya).
What changes
- Route: Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Red Sea International, nonstop.
- Now: Sundays only.
- From 25 October: Thursdays and Sundays, per Gulf News.
- Flight time: just over three hours. Gulf News quotes Etihad as saying about 3 hours 10 minutes.
- Season: year-round, per WAM.
It is Etihad’s sixth destination in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medina and Al Qassim.
Why it matters if you live in the UAE
The Thursday flight is the useful part. With one flight a week, the shortest round trip was a full week away. With Thursdays and Sundays, a Thursday-to-Sunday break becomes possible, as long as the return flights run on those same days. Neither report gives the return schedule, so check the timetable before you book a long weekend around it.
Red Sea International serves The Red Sea and AMAALA resort developments. Gulf News says the airport already has flights to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dubai, Doha and Milan, so Dubai residents already had a way in. The Etihad route is the first on that list from Abu Dhabi.
Neither report gives fares or departure times. Check Etihad’s booking page before you plan around a particular day.
For Etihad Guest members
The route is an ordinary Etihad service, so Etihad Guest members should earn miles and can look for reward seats in the usual way. Neither report mentions a launch offer or bonus miles. We have not priced a reward seat on it. Our Etihad Guest hub covers how the programme works.
Sources
We could not read Etihad’s own release, because etihad.com did not answer our reader. The facts above come from two reports:
- WAM (Emirates News Agency), via Zawya: Etihad flies to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast from October 4
- Gulf News, 6 October 2026: Etihad Airways launches direct flights to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea
- Etihad’s release, which we could not read: Book your October by the sea
Checked against the WAM and Gulf News reports on 13 October 2026.
