Etihad plans Paris airport lounge

Etihad Airways has announced it is planning to open a signature premium lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris as its services to France continue to grow. James Hogan, CEO of Etihad, the national airline of the UAE, said he had started planning the lounge service in the French capital. The move comes as the carrier says it expects total passenger numbers on its Abu Dhabi to Paris route to reach one million by April 2012. The airline is celebrating five years of its non-stop services to Paris and has so far carried more than 770,000 travellers and nearly 51,500 tonnes of cargo on the route. Hogan said: "Our Paris operation has exceeded our expectations over the past five years, and we are pleased to be able to build on this success with the additional frequency we put in place in July this year, going double-daily." He added: "This year we will carry 200,000 travellers on the Abu Dhabi-Paris route, up 16 percent from 173,000 in 2010. By April 2012, we expect to have carried one million travellers overall on the route since its inception. "A logical step for us is to open a signature Etihad premium lounge at Charles de Gaulle airport, and I'm delighted to announce that we have started planning this," he said. The Abu Dhabi-Paris route has enjoyed average passenger loads of 75 percent over its first five years and has grown to 77 percent so far in 2011. The amount of cargo carried has tripled since the start of operations to France, from 5,000 tonnes to 15,000 tonnes annually. Paris is one of the top destinations on Etihad's network of 72 destinations. Hogan added: "By year end, we forecast we will turnover $4bn, have carried 8.4 million travellers, and have 1.3 million Etihad Guest members. "All this will have been achieved despite a still fragile global economy and, at times, challenging operating conditions. "We remain committed to building the Etihad brand in the French market, offering customers great choice, connectivity, and value."