Etihad Airways (EY) will begin a new seasonal service between Abu Dhabi and Göteborg Landvetter Airport (GOT), Gothenburg, starting 17 December 2026. The route will operate four times a week until 21 March 2027, marking the first direct air link between Sweden’s west coast and the Middle East.
The airline will fly the route with an Airbus A321LR, its newest aircraft type, fitted with First, Business and Economy cabins. Gothenburg becomes Etihad’s fifteenth new destination of 2026, extending a network expansion that has already added routes across Africa and Central Asia this year.
New Route Links Abu Dhabi and Gothenburg from 17 December
Etihad will operate flight EY175 from Abu Dhabi to Gothenburg and EY176 on the return leg, four days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The outbound flight departs Abu Dhabi in the early hours and lands in Gothenburg in the morning, while the return flight leaves Gothenburg in the evening and reaches Abu Dhabi late at night. The westbound flight takes around seven hours and 35 minutes, and the return leg takes about six hours and 45 minutes.
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The seasonal schedule runs from 17 December 2026 through 21 March 2027, covering Sweden’s winter and early spring travel season. Bookings opened on 12 August 2026 through Etihad’s website and other sales channels.
Airbus A321LR Brings a Full Three-Cabin Product to Gothenburg
Etihad will deploy the Airbus A321LR on the route, a long-range narrowbody the airline began flying in 2025. The aircraft carries 160 seats across three cabins:
- Two First Suites with fully flat beds and direct aisle access
- 14 Business Class seats, also with fully flat beds and direct aisle access
- 144 Economy Class seats with ergonomic design and 13.3-inch 4K touchscreens
Every seat on the aircraft has access to high-speed Wi-Fi. The A321LR gives Etihad the range to serve thinner long-haul markets like Gothenburg while still offering the same premium cabins found on its widebody fleet.
The aircraft type has a maximum range of around 4,000 nautical miles, enough to cover the roughly 3,000-mile distance between Abu Dhabi and Gothenburg with margin to spare. Etihad has said the A321LR also burns at least 20 percent less fuel than older-generation narrowbodies, which helps the economics of opening a seasonal, four-times-weekly route rather than committing a widebody aircraft year-round. The airline has set a 2030 target for the type to run on fully sustainable aviation fuel blends.
Gothenburg Gains Its First Direct Link to the Middle East and Asia
The new service gives Gothenburg its first nonstop connection to the Middle East and opens faster onward journeys to Asia through Etihad’s Abu Dhabi hub. Passengers arriving in the evening can connect onward to destinations including Bangkok, Phuket, Krabi, Singapore, Hanoi, Bali, Shanghai, Taipei, Bengaluru and Colombo. The connection times through Abu Dhabi are designed to offer some of the fastest one-stop routings from Scandinavia to South and Southeast Asia.
Eligible passengers connecting through Abu Dhabi can also join Etihad’s complimentary Stopover programme, which allows a hotel stay of up to two nights mid-journey. Dubai sits roughly 45 minutes from Abu Dhabi by road, giving stopover passengers access to both cities on a single connection.
For travelers heading the other way, Etihad frames Gothenburg itself as the draw. Sweden’s second-largest city sits where the Göta River meets the sea, with a nearby archipelago reachable by a short ferry ride from the city center. Visitors can explore the wooden streets of the Haga district, browse the city’s seafood markets, or time a trip around the Christmas lights at Liseberg amusement park during the route’s winter launch window.
Executives Highlight Strategic and Economic Benefits
Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer Antonoaldo Neves linked the launch directly to the A321LR’s economics, explaining that the aircraft “makes a route like this possible, bringing our full three-cabin product on a scale that suits Gothenburg.” He added that the service gives the region “its first direct air link to Asia and, through Abu Dhabi, some of the fastest connections to key destinations across India and Asia.”
Swedavia Airports Chief Executive Officer Mats Johannesson welcomed the announcement from the airport operator’s side, noting that it is “the first direct connection between Gothenburg and the United Arab Emirates.” He pointed to business links between West Sweden and Asia, along with diaspora travel demand, as key drivers, adding that the route “demonstrates strong confidence in the Swedish aviation market and in West Sweden as a region.”
The Gothenburg launch fits a pattern of rapid network growth at Etihad this year. The carrier opened six new African destinations from Abu Dhabi beginning in the second half of 2026, including Accra, Lagos and Kinshasa, as part of a push to position Abu Dhabi as a transfer hub between Africa and Asia. It also launched its first-ever route to Uzbekistan on 9 August 2026, with a sold-out inaugural flight to Tashkent.
What Travelers Should Know Before Booking
The Gothenburg route is seasonal and currently scheduled to run for one winter season only, from 17 December 2026 to 21 March 2027. Etihad has not indicated whether the service will return the following winter, and confirmation would likely depend on load factors during this first season.
Travelers connecting onward to Asia should note that Etihad’s evening arrival bank in Abu Dhabi is built around fast connections, but passengers should still check minimum connection times for their specific onward flight. Those wanting to break up the journey can apply for the Abu Dhabi Stopover programme at the time of booking rather than after ticketing.
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