Etihad Airways makes impressive gains in 2008

Despite the downturn in the global aviation sector, Etihad Airways, the flag-carrier airline of Abu Dhabi, flew over 6 million passengers in 2008 – a 34% leap compared to 2007.

In 2008 – which was Etihad Airways’ 5th year of operations – the passenger numbers totalled 6,021,931 and the average seat factor rose from 68% to 75%, a statement from the company said.

A record number of 20,937 passengers flew with Etihad Airways on December 19, 2008, making it the airline’s busiest day.

In 2008, Etihad Airways also took delivery of 9 new aircraft, taking its total fleet of aircraft to 42.

Etihad Airways, set up in 2003, is based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It operates services to the Middle East, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, North America, Far East, Africa, and Oceania. Etihad’s main base is Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Also in 2008, Etihad Airways started 6 new routes – to Beijing, Minsk, Almaty, Kozhikode, Chennai, and Moscow – and signed a record order worth US $43 billion at the Farnborough International Airshow for up to 205 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, the statement said.

James Hogan, chief executive of Etihad Airways, said in the statement: “Despite the impact of the global economic downturn, Etihad performed extremely well in 2008 and we hit our target of flying over 6 million passengers during the year. The carrier now has a flight network of 50 global destinations, with an average seat factor of 75%, which is an impressive achievement in just 5 years of operations. It is also pleasing to note Etihad’s pivotal role in the growth of Abu Dhabi as the emirate becomes a global capital for business and tourism.”

All passenger cabins of Etihad Airways, Hogan added, experienced significant seat factor growth in 2008. The airline achieved average seat factors in its economy cabin of 77%, with flights to the Asia-Pacific region jumping to 84%.

Average seat factors in the carrier’s Business Class climbed to 63% in 2008, with flights to European destinations averaging seat factors of 73%.

Etihad Airways said it strengthened its sponsorship programme in 2008 with announcements of major deals with the Ferrari Formula 1 team, the All-Ireland Hurling Championships and the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which starts in 2009.

The airline has also announced that, from March 2009, the Telstra Dome in Melbourne, which has a capacity of 55,000, will be re-named the Etihad Stadium.

“The ‘Emiratisation’ schemes of Etihad Airways,” James Hogan said, “continued to develop during 2008 with the number of graduate managers, cadet pilots and technical engineers rising to a total of 122 UAE nationals. With Etihad’s incredible growth set to continue it is crucial that we develop our multi-talented, multi-cultural workforce with strong Emirati representation.”

The airline raised its number of employees to over 7,000 – with a majority of them living and working in Abu Dhabi and representing 121 different nationalities.

In 2008, Etihad Airways won a total of 17 global awards for service and innovation. The highlights of the awards include the ‘Airline of the Year’ at the British Travel Awards-2008 in recognition of Etihad’s “tremendous growth, product and service innovation and world-leading customer service”  as well as the Arabian Business Award.

Etihad announced new codeshare agreements with Jet Airways, Yemen Airways, Saudi Arabia Airlines and Sri Lankan Airlines in 2008 – taking the total number of partners to 9 airlines.

The revenue of Etihad Holidays, Etihad’s holiday division, rose by over 100% in 2008 compared to 2007, the company statement said, adding that the opening of three Etihad Holidays shops in Al Wahda Mall, Khalidiya Mall and Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi as well as the continued success of promotional sales campaigns throughout the year contributed to the growth.

Crystal Cargo, Etihad’s cargo division, continued to expand in 2008, with the number of cargo shipments handled going up by over 19% compared to 2007.