United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s national carrier, Etihad Airways, will now be flying daily between Abu Dhabi (its base) and Cape Town.

This is Etihad's second destination in South Africa (it started flights to Johannesburg in December 2005).  It will make use of an Airbus A330 to service this route.  Ethihad's other African destinations include Cairo, Casablance and Khartoum.

Large expat community in UAE will benefit

The service is expected to be welcomed by the large expat community of South Africans that now live in the UAE - thought to be some 40 000 people.

Many other South African nationals live across the Middle East region and also will be able to connect quickly and easily back home via Abu Dhabi, the airline said.

"Besides these expats, business and leisure travellers, many thousands of football fans are expected to travel to Cape Town next year when South Africa hosts the 2010 Fifa World Cup," CEO James Hogan Hogan pointed out.

Courtesy: SAinfo reporter