Etihad and TAROM Open New Links Across Eastern Europe

Etihad Airways (EY) will resume service between Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) on December 17, 2026, operating four times weekly. The launch date was confirmed at the IATA Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro on June 8, where Etihad and Romanian national carrier TAROM signed a new codeshare agreement timed to coincide with the route's opening. Etihad Airways press release

The route had originally been scheduled to return in August 2026 before being pushed to the winter schedule start. Under the codeshare, Etihad guests can book a single ticket from Abu Dhabi to six Romanian cities via Bucharest — Baia Mare, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Oradea, Suceava, and Timișoara — as well as to Belgrade, Budapest, Chișinău, and Sofia on TAROM-operated services. Romanian travelers gain access to Etihad's global network spanning Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Gulf. Passport News

"TAROM gives Etihad real depth in Eastern Europe: a flag carrier shaped by more than seven decades of European aviation," said Arik De, Etihad's Chief Revenue and Commercial Officer. "Launching this codeshare ahead of our own Bucharest service means we enter a fast-growing market with genuine scale from day one."

Etihad already serves Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Moscow, and Sochi in the region; Bucharest extends its Central and Eastern European footprint to Romania. Asian Aviation, June 11, 2026, Aviation Week

Sources

• https://www.etihad.com/en/news/etihad-and-tarom-open-new-links-across-eastern-europe
• https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/routes-networks-latest-rolling-daily-updates-wc-june-8-2026
• https://asianaviation.com/posts/airline-news-in-brief-11-june-2026
• https://passport.news/article/2818