North Carolina is destined for its newest long-haul flight from Charlotte Douglas International Airport next month, with Middle Eastern carrier Etihad Airways launching its newest US route from Abu Dhabi on March 23. The route, which will operate four times per week, will be served by the carrier’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. At a total of 7,407 miles (11,920 km), it will become the airport’s longest route.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is currently dominated by American Airlines (as it is one of their hubs following the US Airways merger). AA operates a modest network of routes to Europe with the Boeing 777-200, to destinations such as London Heathrow Airport, Dublin Airport, Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport, Munich Airport, Rome Fiumicino Airport, and Athens International Airport. Thus far, the longest route was seasonal, that of Athens, totaling 5,478 miles (8,815 km).

Non-Stop To Abu Dhabi

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Etihad’s move to connect Abu Dhabi and Charlotte marks the carrier’s sixth US destination, and the first airline to operate flights from the Middle East to North Carolina. Currently, EY operates non-stop services to New York, Chicago, Washington, Boston, and Atlanta. Set to launch on March 20, the convenient mid-morning arrival and mid-afternoon departure from Charlotte also supports seamless connections via the airline’s Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) hub, into the carrier’s wider Asian, African, and Australian network.

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When traveling back to the United States, via Abu Dhabi, passengers also have the luxury of being able to pass through United States Customs and Border Protection Preclearance (CBP), which is available at AUH. This allows passengers to arrive in the US as domestic passengers, bypassing long queues at airport immigration, and making it much quicker to connect onto onward domestic flights. Below is the airline’s four weekly service schedule, which will take place from March 20:

American Airlines Operates The Most Long-Haul Flights From CLT

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As already mentioned, American Airlines dominates operations at Charlotte, with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics outlining that the airline demands almost 70% of all airport operations. Following the airline’s merger with US Airways, US Airways’ operations at CLT transitioned into the AA network.

After Etihad’s new route to Abu Dhabi, the second-longest route from CLT is American Airlines’ seasonal service to Athens, Greece, at a total of 5,478 miles (8,815 km). The service, which will operate across the Northern Hemisphere summer season, will fly a total of 156 one-way flights as per data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company. The route is served with AA’s Boeing 777-200.

Rome Fiumicino Airport, another seasonal service, is the airport’s third-longest route, with a total of 237 one-way flights scheduled. This link to the Italian capital is operated by the airlines Boeing 777-200, and covers 4,811 miles (7,742 km).

Credit: GCMap

Resuming on March 4, American will re-launch services to Munich, Germany, with the carrier flying this link year-round onboard the 777-200, complementing the existing Lufthansa service, which is operated by the Airbus A350-900. This city pair covers 4,578 miles (7,367 km).

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Etihad Airways Announces Boeing 787 Dreamliner Flights To Charlotte

It will be mostly about Indian traffic.

Other Important Long-Haul Routes

Credit: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Europe sees the lion’s share of services from Charlotte, as outlined in the map above. American Airlines serves most major European cities from CLT. The airline’s service to Frankfurt, also operated by the 777-200, is the next-longest route, covering a total of 4,397 miles (7,076 km).

Paris, Madrid, London, and Dublin all round out the remainder of America’s longest routes from Charlotte to Europe, all covering between 3,700 and 4,170 miles (5,954 and 6,170 km) in distance.

The tenth-longest route from Charlotte is its unique seasonal service to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Western Canada. The link, which is served across the Northern Hemisphere summer season, will be operated a total of 100 times this year, onboard the airline’s Airbus A321 aircraft. The route covers a total of 2,335 miles (3,757 km).