FULL CIRCLE: WATCHING CHARLOTTE CONNECT TO A CITY 🕌 I ONCE CALLED HOME
I called Abu Dhabi "home" for 22 months, spanning the period just before and after the first Gulf War. So when I heard that in just one year there will be direct flights from Charlotte to Abu Dhabi ✈️🇺🇸➡️🇦🇪, it definitely caught my attention.
Back when I was traveling to and from the UAE—whether to/from Abu Dhabi or Dubai—there were no direct routes. Not even to major hubs like Paris or New York City, let alone Charlotte. Every trip required connecting flights or a stop-over through places like Kuwait City, Riyadh, or Bahrain. It made for a grueling journey, with long hours spent in the air and in airports. Travelling to and from NY City was a 30 hour trip door to door assuming everything was on time. Add in an 8-hour time difference and you can guess how brutal those trips were.
I can’t help but think how much easier it would have been to fly non-stop back then. Still, just because the option exists now doesn’t mean I’ll be booking my ticket anytime soon—my days of traveling to the Middle East are behind me. But this is undeniably exciting news for the Queen City.
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, which plays a major role in supporting the city’s economy and connectivity, provides thousands of jobs and contributes to the region’s appeal for companies and travelers alike. The continued expansion and modernization projects at Charlotte Douglas International Airport reflect its central role in Charlotte’s long-term growth and competitiveness on the global stage as the following 2024 statistics illustrate:
Passenger Traffic: CLT handled a record 58.8 million passengers in 2024, ranking it seventh in North America and 23rd globally.
Aircraft Operations: With 596,583 takeoffs and landings, CLT was the sixth busiest airport worldwide for aircraft movements.
Connectivity: The airport offers 188 nonstop destinations, including over 40 international routes and 8 to Europe.
Starting May 4, 2026, Etihad Airways will begin direct flight service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to Abu Dhabi.
Why this matters: At around 15 hours, it will be Charlotte’s longest nonstop flight and its first direct connection to the Middle East.
Flight details:
Operated on a 303-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
Four weekly flights: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays
Business and economy seating will be available
Ticket prices starting around $1,500, currently for sale at $2,140.
This marks Charlotte’s fourth international carrier and Etihad’s sixth U.S. destination and we are in rarified company, as the other cities Etihad flies out of are New York City, Chicago, Washington, DC, Boston, and Atlanta. It's a major milestone for international travel in and out of Charlotte.
Comments(10)