Although Lisbon has been in the Emirates destination network for over ten years, only on June 19th has the first Etihad flight touched down in the Portuguese capital. The flight is an important addition to the Abu Dhabi based airline for both travellers directed towards and from Europe. So let’s take a look at how Etihad Abu Dhabi to Lisbon flight EY63 will operate and which hard product is available on the route.
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The Schedule and Operations of Etihad Abu Dhabi to Lisbon Flight
Abu Dhabi to Lisbon flight EY63 operated by Etihad airways, entered the airline’s network as a seasonal presence. However as tickets went for sale, the carrier soon realised the potential of the route. Demand was much higher than anticipated for flights from and to Lisbon. Therefore Etihad opted to make flight EY63 a year round flight, not just a seasonal appearance.
Although flight EY63 will be a year round service, it’ll be at least for the time being a 3 times weekly connection. Only if traffic figures demand it there will be an increase of weekly frequencies. As of June 2023 Etihad’s Abu Dhabi to Lisbon flights operate every:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Sunday
As for the schedule, this is how it’ll work:
| Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | Flight Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | EY63 | Abu Dhabi | AUH | 02:15 | Lisbon | LIS | 07:30 | 8h 15min |
| EY64 | Lisbon | LIS | 08:50 | Abu Dhabi | AUH | 19:15 | 7h 25min |
The flight’s departure time is right in the middle of the night from Abu Dhabi. This is not a random choice. Etihad, just as Emirates and Qatar Airways, schedule flights at this time to funnel passengers arriving from Australian and Asian destinations. Generally all flights for Europe arrive just before all departures for Asia are on the way out and viceversa.
Which Plane Is Used on Flight EY63?
Lisbon will be receiving, at least for the time being the Etihad Boeing 787-9. This is the backbone of Etihad’s current fleet. Of the two different configurations Etihad operates of the Boeing 787-9 it deployed the 2 class version on the AUH-LIS sector. This Dreamliner configuration features:
- 28 Business Class seats in a 1-2-1 layout
- 262 Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 layout
If you are travelling in business class as a couple you might want to choose odd numbered seats in the center as they are the so called honeymoon configuration. The two seats are right next to each other and allow to lower the partition to enjoy each other’s company. Also note that odd numbered seats in business class by the window face the rear of the plane.
Each seat, even in economy class, features its own personal in flight entertainment screen. Every ticket includes meal service and alcoholic beverages.
