Etihad Launching Charlotte Flights May 2026

Intro

Quite a while ago, Etihad took the aviation world by surprise when they announced a huge expansion, covering parts of Asia and the Americas. Well, they have just decided that their next launch point in the US will be.... Charlotte, North Carolina...

The Details

Beginning May 4th, 2026, Etihad will be launching a 4x weekly service between Abu Dhabi and Charlotte utilizing a 2-cabin 787-9 Dreamliner. These planes are equipped with 28 business class seats, as well as 262 economy seats.

The route is slated to be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays with the following schedule:

EY15: Abu Dhabi-Charlotte departing at 3:15 AM and arriving at 10:15 AM

EY16: Charlotte-Abu Dhabi departing at 2:40 PM and arriving at 12:25 PM (+1 day)

Note: This flight will be eligible for US pre-clearance in Abu Dhabi

I'm not the biggest fan of Etihad Business Class, as you will find out soon...

A Quick Thought

Etihad seems to be taking on airlines at their hub bases, without actually belonging to one of the three main alliances. This is fascinating, as they will soon start serving Atlanta, which is a Delta Hub, they serve Washington, which is a United hub, and now it's going to be Charlotte, which is an American Airlines hub.

I guess, at least American and Etihad have a partnership after all, but they must be seeing something in the Charlotte market to make this work. I'll be fascinated to see the loads on this route when it finally launches.

Final Thoughts

Etihad has just announced that as of May next year, the airline will begin flying 4x weekly between Abu Dhabi and Charlotte, North Carolina. It's interesting to see how the Etihad route network is evolving, and even more so their planned destinations in Asia once the new A321s are delivered.