Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will begin flights to Chicago beginning September 2. The route will be served initially three times a week and will increase to daily flights October 1.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive, said: “Starting flights to Chicago is a very proud moment in the history of Etihad Airways and upholds our ambitious plans to link Abu Dhabi with key strategic cities around the world.”

Chicago is the third largest U.S. market for air travel to the Middle East after New York and Washington, D.C., and the state of Illinois is home to one of the largest Arab American communities in the U.S. with an estimated Arab American population of more than 230,000.