Abu Dhabi, May 9 (IANS/WAM): United Arab Emirates' flag carrier Etihad Airways on Monday opened its new premium Lounge at Melbourne Airport, offering guests a place to relax, re-energise, dine, work or be entertained pre-flight.

With a seating capacity for up to 133 guests, it is the airline’s largest premium lounge outside Abu Dhabi.

With the commencement of A380 services from June 1, guests in 'The Residence' will enjoy the exclusivity of a private lounge discreetly located adjacent to the main lounge entry.

Shane O’Hare, Etihad Airways’ senior vice president for marketing, said "The new lounge at Melbourne Airport is in a class of its own."

"The opening of this remarkable new facility and the launch of our flagship A380 services on June 1, offer travellers on the Melbourne-Abu Dhabi route our most compelling guest experience proposition ever."

The new facility adds to the airline’s expanding portfolio of premium lounges in Sydney, Abu Dhabi, Dublin, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Manchester, Paris, Washington and New York. A new First Class Lounge at Abu Dhabi International Airport and a new First and Business Class Lounge at Los Angeles will follow in the coming months.