Etihad Airways, the national
airline of the United Arab Emirates, delivered solid operational performance in
2015 by achieving continued growth in passenger and cargo volumes.
The airline carried 17.4 million
passengers last year, a significant increase of 17 per cent over 2014 levels,
and operated 97,400 flights which covered 467 million kilometres. The growth in
passenger demand continued to surpass the airline’s capacity increase,
underscoring the strength of its long-term growth strategy.
In total, Etihad Airways carried
more than 75 per cent of the 23.3 million passengers who travelled to and from
Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2015. With the addition of the airline’s equity
partners that operate flights into the UAE capital, the combined total rises to
84 per cent of passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’
President and Chief Executive Officer, said: “In 2015, we were able to bring
new competitive choice to millions of travellers, through our award-winning
services and through the growing networks of our equity partners. No airline
group is doing more to stimulate new competition in the aviation industry.”
Etihad Airways introduced six
additional destinations to its global route network in 2015, with new flights
to Kolkata, Madrid, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Hong Kong, and Dar es Salaam, and a new
direct service to Brisbane.
Last year also saw Etihad
Airways’ fleet boosted with the deployment of the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner,
which entered commercial service on routes to Washington DC, Zurich, Singapore
and Brisbane. The Airbus A380 network was expanded with a second service to
London Heathrow and new flights to Sydney and New York.
This year, the airline will
commence its third daily A380 service to London Heathrow, and will add two new
A380 destinations of Mumbai and Melbourne, while the Boeing 787 will start
flying to five new cities, namely Düsseldorf, Perth, Shanghai, Istanbul and Johannesburg.
Etihad Airways increased
frequencies on 16 existing routes across the world in 2015. These were Bangkok,
Chennai, Dammam, Delhi, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kochi,
Kozhikode, Melbourne, Mumbai, Muscat, Seychelles, Tehran and Trivandrum.
Complementing its organic growth,
the airline also expanded its codeshare and equity partnerships last year.
These partnerships delivered more than five million passengers onto Etihad
Airways’ flights, an increase of 43 per cent over the 3.5 million passengers in
2014.
A new codeshare agreement was
launched with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), while Etihad Airways’
existing codeshares with Air Serbia, American Airlines, flynas, Jet Airways,
Korean Air, NIKI and S7 Airlines were significantly expanded. As a result,
Etihad Airways now offers a combined passenger and cargo network of nearly 600
destinations through its 197 interline and 49 codeshare partnerships.
In April 2015, the airline
obtained regulatory approval from Switzerland’s Federal Office of Civil
Aviation, FOCA, to finalise a 33.3 per cent investment in the Swiss regional
carrier, Darwin Airline.
In June, Darwin Airline, trading
as Etihad Regional, became the latest addition to Etihad Airways’ equity
partners network, which also includes airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles,
Alitalia, Jet Airways and Virgin Australia. Etihad Airways’ equity partnerships
represent the seventh largest global grouping of airlines, together flying more
than 100 million guests.
Etihad Airways also reported strong
cargo volumes for 2015, with 592,090 tonnes of freight and mail flown in total,
a four per cent increase year-on-year. The airline accounted for 88 per cent of
cargo imports, exports and transfers at Abu Dhabi International Airport last
year.
During 2015, Etihad Cargo
enhanced its global reach by offering bellyhold capacity on Etihad Airways’ six
new passenger destinations, bringing to 96 the total number of passenger
destinations on which cargo services are currently provided. Etihad Cargo also
expanded its freighter services to several new markets including Dakar,
Nouakchott and Douala, bringing the number of freighter-only destinations
operated to 20.
Etihad Airways’ fleet consisted
of 121 aircraft at the end of 2015 (+9 per cent year-on-year), with an average
age of 5.8 years – one of the youngest and most environmentally-friendly in the
industry. The airline took delivery of 11 Airbus (four A380s, six A321s and one
A320) and four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in 2015, while further leased
capacity was also added.
To support the next phase of its
global network expansion, Etihad Airways will receive 10 aircraft deliveries
this year, including five Boeing 787-9s, three A380s and two Boeing 777-200
Freighters.
Mr Hogan said: “We enter 2016
with confidence as a stronger, more dynamic airline that will continue to
support the evolution of Abu Dhabi as a global aviation hub. We continue to
face challenges, not least the protectionism of the major American and European
legacy carriers. We will continue to fight to bring new competitive choice to
travellers around the world.”
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways began operations
in 2003, and in 2015 carried 17.4 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base,
Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 116 passenger and cargo
destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the
Americas. The airline has a fleet of around 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft,
with approximately 200 aircraft on firm order, including 66 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing
777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and five Airbus A380s.
Etihad Airways holds equity
investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways,
Virgin Australia, and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional.
Etihad Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia,
Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways
Partners, a new brand that brings together like- minded airlines to offer
customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced
frequent flyer benefits.
For more information, please
visit: www.etihad.com
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