Etihad Airways is continuing to increase the number of special flights it is operating worldwide to and from Abu Dhabi.

Throughout May and June, the airline will increase frequencies on previously announced special flights, and will add new services to Belgrade, Dublin, Geneva, Milan, Paris Charles de Gaulle, and Toronto.

In addition to the recently launched link between Melbourne and London, Etihad will also add services to Sydney, allowing a direct transit connection to and from the UK capital via Abu Dhabi.

Etihad continues to follow UAE and international government, regulatory and health authority directives, and is playing its part in helping to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The airline has implemented an extensive sanitisation and customer safety programme and is practicing the highest standards of hygiene at every part of the customer journey. This includes catering, aircraft and cabin deep-cleaning, check-in, health screening, boarding, inflight, crew interaction, meal service, disembarkation and ground transportation, amongst others.

Etihad launched daily scheduled flights between the capital cities of the UAE and the Maldives in November 2011. Since then, the airline has increased the frequency on the Abu Dhabi-Male route to 11 services a week.

However, all international airlines have suspended their operations to the Maldives after the island nation enforced a blanket suspension of on-arrival visa late March in a bid to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

On March 8, Maldives reported its first cases of the novel coronavirus, as two hotel employees tested positive for Covid-19 at a luxury resort in the archipelago.

Eighteen more cases — all foreigners working or staying resorts and liveaboard vessels except five Maldivians who had returned from abroad — were later identified.

A six-case cluster of locals, detected in capital Male on April 15, confirmed community transmission of the coronavirus. Several more clusters have since been identified, bringing the total number of confirmed case in the Maldives to 1,216.

Four deaths have been reported and 104 have made full recoveries.

Those wishing to book are advised to visit www.etihad.com to view their options, and to remain informed on the appropriate entry regulations at their end destination. Flights are also available for booking through the mobile app, by calling the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 600 555 666 (UAE), or through a local or online travel agency.