The new service is expected to launch on 1 October and the route will be flown by A330-200 aircraft.

According to the carrier, the Ho Chi Minh connection will “meet growing demand from Vietnam’s rapidly expanding economy and will support the country’s increasing commercial ties with the United Arab Emirates, and in particular with Abu Dhabi”.

Etihad president and CEO James Hogan commented: “The route will be ideal to carry passengers and cargo point-to-point from the United Arab Emirates, as well as from Etihad Airways destinations in the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America.”

The airline also observed that the Ho Chi Minh link “will further support joint UAE and Vietnam government ventures in areas of energy, infrastructure, tourism and civil construction”, pointing out that UAE investment in Vietnam is now worth approximately US$3 billion a year.

Amongst its current network, the airline serves five other destinations online in the ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) region – Ho Chi Minh will join Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.

Hogan continued: “Etihad Airways has a strong South-east Asian network and the addition of daily services to Ho Chi Minh City underlines our commitment to this region that continues to experience strong commercial growth across many industries.”

Already this year, Etihad has announced that it will inaugurate new non-stop flights to São Paulo, Washington DC, Addis Ababa and Ahmedabad.