Etihad adds medical cover for Abu Dhabi flyers

Etihad Airways will provide complimentary medical travel insurance to qualifying international visitors flying to or through Abu Dhabi from July, strengthening the emirate’s effort to position itself as a more seamless and secure destination for global travellers.

The initiative, launched with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and The National Insurance Company – Daman, will run from July to December 2026. Eligible passengers will receive cover automatically with every qualifying Etihad ticket, without a separate application process or additional registration.

The policy applies to visitors travelling on Etihad-operated services where both the point of origin and point of sale are outside the UAE. Coverage will be valid for up to 15 days in the UAE, offering a built-in medical safety net for tourists, stopover passengers and short-stay visitors using Abu Dhabi as either a final destination or a gateway.

The move adds a healthcare assurance layer to Abu Dhabi’s visitor proposition at a time when destinations are competing not only on attractions and connectivity but also on convenience, safety and confidence. It is aimed at reducing one of the administrative burdens associated with international travel, particularly for families, older travellers, first-time visitors and passengers combining short stopovers with onward journeys.

Daman, part of PureHealth, will underwrite and administer the cover. Its involvement gives the programme access to an established healthcare insurance platform and provider network in Abu Dhabi, where medical infrastructure has become part of the emirate’s broader positioning as a high-service travel and business hub.

Travellers using Etihad’s complimentary Stopover Programme will also be covered for the duration of their stay, subject to the 15-day limit and applicable terms. That is significant for Abu Dhabi’s strategy of converting transit passengers into short-stay visitors by encouraging them to spend one or two nights in the capital rather than simply connecting through Zayed International Airport.

Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry, Director General for Tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi, said global interest in Abu Dhabi continued to grow and that the insurance initiative would help create an “end-to-end visitor experience”. Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said the airline’s role was to make both getting to Abu Dhabi and being there as seamless as possible.

The partnership comes as Abu Dhabi records stronger tourism momentum. The emirate welcomed 26.6 million visitors in 2025, while hotel revenues rose 19.5 per cent year on year to AED9.1 billion. Hotel guests reached 5.9 million, occupancy rose to 81 per cent, and international guest numbers increased by 10 per cent, led by key source markets including India, Russia, the United Kingdom, China and Saudi Arabia.

Culture, leisure and events have become central to this growth. More than 8.6 million visits were recorded across cultural sites and libraries in 2025, while culture and leisure events drew 4.2 million attendees. Louvre Abu Dhabi attracted 1.4 million visitors and Qasr Al Hosn welcomed more than 843,000, reflecting the emirate’s effort to differentiate itself through heritage, museums, family attractions and major events.

Etihad’s network expansion also supports the tourism strategy. The airline carried 22.4 million passengers in 2025, a 21 per cent year-on-year rise and the highest annual total in its history. Its operating fleet reached 127 aircraft by the end of that year, while network destinations increased to 110. Early 2026 figures showed continued demand, with 4.2 million passengers carried in the first two months and an average load factor of 89.7 per cent.

The insurance offer is aligned with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Strategy 2030, which targets 39.3 million annual visitors and aims to raise the sector’s contribution to GDP to AED90 billion by the end of the decade. The plan also seeks to create 178,000 new jobs across the tourism ecosystem and expand accommodation capacity, including hotels, holiday homes and alternative lodging.

For Etihad, the initiative is part of a broader push to make Abu Dhabi more than a transfer point. The airline has been using stopover packages, destination offers and partnerships with tourism authorities to increase visitor conversion from its long-haul network. Complimentary medical cover adds a practical incentive that may appeal to travellers comparing Gulf hubs for leisure, family visits, medical appointments, business travel and multi-city itineraries.