Etihad Airways recently celebrated five years of daily, non-stop flights between Abu Dhabi and Chicago at an exclusive gathering of guests, partners and employees at The Café des Architectes at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower.

Etihad Airways started flights from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) on September 2, 2009, marking the airline’s entry into its second U.S. destination after John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.

“Chicago is a very important city in driving both awareness and growth for Etihad Airways within the U.S.,” said James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways.

“We thank the community for their tremendous support over the last five years. We are very proud to be the first airline to connect guests traveling between Chicago and Abu Dhabi to the world. As a strong contributor to the creation of jobs and growing the economy for the third-largest city in the United States, we remain committed to doing even more within the Chicago community and across the U.S.”

Since the launch, Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become ‘sister airports’ in a unique twinning arrangement which has enabled the airports to share technical, commercial and environmental best practices throughout their five-year-long relationship and counting.

In addition to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Etihad Airways currently offers double-daily flights to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and daily flights to Los Angeles International Airport and Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport. Dallas Forth Worth International became the latest addition to Etihad Airways’ growing U.S. network with the launch of flights on December 3, 2014.

Etihad Airways, www.etihad.com