CHARLOTTE — The city’s first nonstop flight to and from the Middle East remains on schedule to begin this week despite the war in Iran, according to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
[ READ MORE: Etihad Airways eyeing Middle East airstrikes but optimistic for CLT launch ]
Etihad Airways unveiled plans last year to start nonstop service between CLT and Abu Dhabi in May 2026. Initial demand caused the airline to accelerate its start date to March 20. Etihad is holding to that date despite the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war against Iran — now in its third week — and unrest in other parts of the region.
On March 6, Etihad, after numerous war-related cancellations and delays, resumed what the airline called a “limited flight schedule.” Those resumptions included its routes to U.S. cities. Charlotte will be the airline’s sixth U.S. destination, joining Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; New York; and Washington, D.C.
The inaugural flight from Abu Dhabi to Charlotte is scheduled to land here at 11:40 a.m. on Friday. The first flight from CLT back to Abu Dhabi leaves at 2 p.m. that afternoon.
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