Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has commenced daily non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Phuket, the airline’s second destination in Thailand.

Etihad's inaugural flight lands at Phuket International Airport on Sunday.

The inaugural flight, EY430, departed Abu Dhabi International Airport at 8.40am local time on Sunday Oct 26  and touched down at 6pm local time at Phuket International Airport.

James Hogan, president and chief executive officer of Etihad Airways, said the new Phuket route is a natural expansion of Etihad's network, which already serves leisure destinations such as the Seychelles, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Phuket is one of 10 new routes launched or to be launched by Etihad Airways in 2014. It is also the airline’s seventh destination in Southeast Asia alongside Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.