Admittedly expansion by a Gulf carrier isn’t exactly front of mind at the moment, as the airlines struggle to operate due to attacks by Iran. But still, airlines are making long term plans, and there’s an interesting development, on that front.
Etihad greatly expands Abu Dhabi to Chicago flights
Etihad Airways has been flying to Chicago since 2009, and has generally operated once daily service. Along those lines, there’s an interesting update. As of June 15, 2026, Etihad plans to double service, and have twice daily flights between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Chicago (ORD). The 7,276-mile flight will operate with the following schedule:
EY9 Abu Dhabi to Chicago departing 2:55AM arriving 8:35AM
EY11 Abu Dhabi to Chicago departing 10:00AM arriving 3:40PM
EY10 Chicago to Abu Dhabi departing 2:00PM arriving 12:30PM (+1 day)
EY12 Chicago to Abu Dhabi departing 9:10PM arriving 7:40PM (+1 day)
Etihad will use two-cabin Airbus A350-1000s for both daily flights, featuring 371 seats, including 44 business class seats and 327 economy class seats. Etihad’s A350 business class experience is phenomenal, in my opinion. If you’re curious, the EY11/12 frequency is the new one. The new flight is already bookable.
My take on Etihad expanding its Chicago service
For context, Etihad flies to six destinations in the United States, including Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Washington (IAD). There are a few things I find interesting here:
- Etihad is the smallest of the “big three” Gulf carriers, yet it will be the only one operating multiple daily flights to Chicago
- Chicago is only the second destination in North America to which Etihad has more than daily service, after New York; and actually, this will now be Etihad’s highest capacity US market, since New York service is operated by a combination of (lower capacity) 787s and A350s
- Etihad is on a huge expansion kick and is greatly trying to increase its number of destinations, so it’s interesting to see the airline doubling service to Chicago, rather than adding flights to a new destination
- Etihad has a partnership with American, so Chicago does have some connectivity, which I imagine is a factor in expanding this service
- Etihad currently “only” has 10 A350s, and this route alone will take up roughly three frames
Bottom line
As of June 2026, Etihad is doubling service to Chicago, as the airline will fly twice daily from Abu Dhabi using Airbus A350s. This is only Etihad’s second route with double daily service, and when you look at overall capacity, this will be Etihad’s highest capacity market in the United States.
It’s interesting to see Etihad be the first Gulf carrier to go double daily to Chicago, since Emirates and Qatar Airways are much bigger, but don’t have that level of service.
What do you make of Etihad doubling Chicago flights?