Etihad's new Barcelona-Abu Dhabi route debuts
Five weekly flights between the two capitals to be extended to seven from April
The first flight on the new route from Barcelona to Abu Dhabi from the Etihad airline was all ready for take-off on Wednesday morning.
The flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will run five flights a week from the Catalan capital, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Etihad also confirmed that it intends to expand the number of flights for the route to seven every week, from April next year.
"An opportunity for our economy"
The Catalan territory minister, Damià Calvet, welcomed the new direct link between Catalonia and Asia, which he called "the world's factory."
"This new route brings us a 'super hub' of the Middle East and links us better with Asia. That is an opportunity for our economy," he added.