Abu Dhabi: Destination Report

The capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, is now just a direct flight away from Luxembourg, following Etihad Airways starting direct flights on 21 October 2026.

When initially making the announcement and opening bookings in January, three flights weekly were foreseen; however, due to strong booking figures, a fourth flight was added and was announced in June.

The route is served by an Airbus A321LR, which is a narrow-bodied aircraft configured with two first class seats, fourteen in business class and 144 in economy class. It leaves Luxembourg at 09:45, arriving in Abu Dhabi 6 hours 45 minutes later at 19:30; the return flight leaves Abu Dhabi at 02:40, returning to Luxembourg at 07:20, 7 hours and 40 minutes after departing.

Etihad Airways became the first Middle Eastern airline to serve Luxembourg; Luxair has operated direct flights to Dubai in 2023/24 (seasonal), and plans to reopen that route in early 2027, while its plans for Abu Dhabi have been put back to the end of 2027 (https://chronicle.lu/category/travel-1/63113-luxair-defers-abu-dhabi-launch-postpones-dubai-service).

Abu Dhabi

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is located in the Persian Gulf and is on the Tropic of Cancer.

The population of the UAE is almost 12 million people, with just 12% being Emirati citizens, and the rest of the population made up of foreign expatriates of which Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Filipino nationals represent the largest communities.

Abu Dhabi, the capital city of, and one of the seven emirates that makes up, the UAE, and the UAE's second-most populous city after Dubai, has just over 4 million inhabitants, of which 67% are male and 33% are female.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), headquartered in the city, manages approximately US$1 trillion in assets, making it the world's third-largest sovereign wealth fund after Norway's Government Pension Fund Global and China's CIC. 

Abu Dhabi's rapid development and urbanisation, coupled with the massive oil and gas reserves and production and relatively high average income, have transformed it into a large, developed metropolis.

Abu Dhabi is located on an island just 250m off the coast, joined to the mainland by the Maqta and Mussafah Bridges; it has many suburban districts on the mainland. 

Abu Dhabi has a hot desert climate with temperatures around 40C in July and August when sandstorms are intermittent. Between November and March, the climate ranges between moderately hot to mild.

The area surrounding Abu Dhabi dates back to around 3,000 years BC; the United Arab Emirates was founded in 1971 when Abu Dhabi agreed along with five other emirates. 

Before the discovery of oil reserves, its main business was pearl diving which boomed from the late 19th century through to the second decade of the 20th century. Oil was first discovered in 1958 at a depth of 2,500+ metres. 

Oil represents almost half of the UAE's GDP, with tourism and manufacturing the next largest business sectors at around 13% and 10% respectively. Today, just 8-9% of the UAE’s energy comes from solar panels, with solar farms located outside the city; the UAE also has two nuclear power stations. This is part of the policy to reduce dependence from fossil fuels (oil and gas).

In the UAE there are seven rulers, one for each emirate, and one Abu Dhabi overall ruler being the UAE President, with the Dubai ruler being the Vice- President and Prime Minister.

Looking to the future, something that the UAE is preparing for is "flying taxis", by way of being piloted for four passengers; they look like drone-like helicopters with propellors that rotate both for vertical take off and horizontal flying; they are already creating a network of ten vertiports which will be used to serve hundreds of passengers daily, unlike helipads which have very limited ground access. The first electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVOTLs) to be deployed are earmarked to be Midnight (American) aircraft which can reach speeds of up to 320km/h. The project is currently awaiting regulatory approval. Autonomous driving is already in opersrion in Abu Dhabi.

Getting There

I flew out on a Wednesday (daytime) and back on a Sunday (overnight Saturday-Sunday), necessitating three nights' stay.

The flight was on the Etihad Airways Airbus A321LR, the only plane servicing the Grand Duchy for 30 years that offers first class seats (also 14 in business and 144 in economy), with the flight time +/- seven hours. 

The outward flight path took us over the Alps and across the Adriatic Sea and the Mediterranean, close to Alexandria and Cairo, over the north of the Red Sea and across Saudi Arabia to approach the UAE from the west. On the return trip, we flew a different route, this time slightly further north, over Baghdad and near Mount Ararat, across the northern cost of Turkey, then near Vienna and Frankfurt. 

Talking with the cabin crew, they confirmed that the outbound flight was full; however, the first leg of their trip (the previous day’s incoming flight from Abu Dhabi) was around 50% full. Seeing many families on my outbound flight, I suspect they were taking an early half-term from school and were eagerly exploring the new destination offered by Luxembourg airport opening the route to Etihad Airways. The return flight to Luxembourg was full too.

Many may be aware of the Etihad Airways brand, due to their sponsorship of Manchester City in the Premier League, McLaren and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Formula One racing and others including Euroleague Basketball and Chennai Super Kings (cricket), but maybe have not (yet) flown with the airline which has a hugely positive reputation world-wide. 

When in Abu Dhabi, we visited the Etihad Airways training campus in Khalifa City where Etihad trains its pilots and cabin crew.

They have a total of five “simulators” for cabin crew, with another fourteen flight simulators for pilots (including from other airlines who do not have their own. Next year they expect to train 300 new pilot cadets, mainly linked to the growth of the airline’s network, with an 18-month training period on average.

New joiners receive six weeks of intense training, of which ten days are dedicated to service training, after which the trainees have to pass five exams, two service exams and a practical exam, as well as regular quizzes (continual assessment). Over 1,000 cabin crew are trained annually, with the trainers former cabin crew themselves. 

Accommodation

I stayed at the W Hotel (part of the Mariott chain) on Yas Island (not unlike Singapore's Santaosa Island), which offers 424 rooms and 75 suites, as well as direct views of the Formula 1 track) its bridge linking the two hotel towers actually spans the racetrack!) and the marina. It has two outdoor swimming pools, a spa (with eleven treatment rooms) and fitness centre, as well as fine dining. 

Breakfasts were sumptuous, with an incredibly wide choice available to suit everyone's tastes. Mine consisted mainly of an omelette and fresh sliced fruit, with a slide of fresh bread and jam, washed down by fresh juice and a coffee.

Dining Out

We ate out at a variety of restaurants, all excellent, from waterside steakhouses to Michelin-starred fish restaurants. 

Visiting Abu Dhabi

The best times to visit Abu Dhabi are from November to March when temperatures have dropped from the searing summer heat. Everywhere is equipped with air conditioning, and there are even a snow park and ice area (all indoors).

Abu Dhabi is built on the coast, and covers around 200 islands, with the main city on one of the islands. All islands are interconnected, with different ones offering different things, from the royal family on one to the Yas island offering entertainment, including Ferrari World Warner Brothers World, Waterworld and Sea World. 

Formula 1: Abu Dhabi is starting to gear up for the final race of the 2026 Formula One calendar, to be held over the first weekend of December. In addition to the practice sessions, qualifying and the race itself, the city is putting on much more over the race weekend, including concerts headlining Andrea Bocelli, Kings of Leon, Lewis Capaldi, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Warren, Anyma, Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers and The Script...

I'll split the rest of the destination report into two additional, separate articles:
- one on history and culture;
- and the other on other things we did on more of an entertainment and shopping side...