Etihad Airways
| File:Etihad Logo.jpg | |||||||
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| Founded | 2003 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Abu Dhabi International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Etihad Guest | ||||||
| Alliance | Arab Air Carriers Organization | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | |||||||
| Fleet size | 45 (+116 Orders, 54 Options, 50 Purchase Rights) incl.cargo | ||||||
| Destinations | 56 incl.cargo destinations | ||||||
| Headquarters | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | ||||||
| Key people | H.E. Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan (Chairman), James Hogan (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.etihadairways.com | ||||||
Established in 2003, Etihad Airways (Arabic: الإتحاد, ʼal-ʻitiħād) is the flag carrier airline of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Etihad is based in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
'‘Etihad’' (Arabic for "united", "federation" or "union") is the Arabic abbreviation for الإمارات العربية المتحدة - United Arab Emirates. It operates services to the Middle East, Europe, Indian subcontinent, North America, Far East, Africa, and Oceania. Its main base is Abu Dhabi International Airport.[1]
In 2008, it carried more than six million passengers, compared with 340,000 in its first full year of operations in 2004.
History
Etihad Airways was established as the national airline of the United Arab Emirates in July 2003 by a royal decree, issued by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. It started with an initial paid-up capital of AED500 million. Services were launched with a ceremonial flight to Al Ain on November 5, 2003, and on November 12, 2003, Etihad started commercial operations with the launch of services to Beirut. In the months that followed, almost one new route was added per month. In 2008 Etihad carried more than 6 million passengers, compared to 4.6 million in 2007.
In June 2004 the airline flew the first direct flight from the UAE to Geneva followed by Brussels and Toronto in October 2005.
Performance
The airline has not made a profit since its inception, but expects to by 2010. Growth has never fallen below 40% a year. In its first 4 years, it doubled in size every 6 months, and has every year since.[2]
In the financial year 2008, Etihad carried 4.6 million passengers and 330,000 tonnes of cargo. International Air Transport Association (IATA) statistics indicate that in 2007 Etihad ranked among the top-ten airlines in the world in terms of growth since its inception in 2003.
| Year | Traffic | Passenger seat kilometres | Fleet | Average age of fleet (months) | Passenger seat factor (%) | Destinations | Revenue | Staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-2007[3] | 2,800,000 | N/A | 21 | 9 | 59.9% | 37 | N/A | 5,524 |
| 2007-2008 [4] | 4,600,000 | N/A | 37 | 14 | 69.0% | 44 | 1,500,000,000 | 6,318 |
| 2008-2009 | 6,021,931 | N/A | 42 | N/A | 75.0% | 50 | n/a | 7,350 |
Cargo
Etihad Crystal Cargo is Etihad's cargo division, operating two A300-600F cargo aircraft. It started operations in September 2004 and has since flown the first commercial cargo flight between Abu Dhabi International Airport and Frankfurt Airport.
Etihad Crystal Cargo is expected to double its turnover of AED361.50 million (US$98.5 million) in 2005 to over AED734 million (US$200 million) in 2006. Crystal handled 115,000 tonnes of cargo in 2005, about 50 per cent of the cargo uplifted from Abu Dhabi Airport. Etihad’s new facility at Abu Dhabi Airport will be equipped to handle more than 500,000 tonnes annually. New aircraft, particularly the Airbus A330-200F and Boeing 777F, will play a role in cargo expansion. Etihad has reached an agreement with World Airways to provide additional uplift.
Destinations
As of March 2009 Etihad Airways serves 52 destinations and Etihad Crystal Cargo serves 10 (inlcuding 6 destinations served by Etihad Airways also) destinations in 38 Countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania.
| Destination | Frequency (per week) |
Aircraft | Commencing | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan, Italy | Upgrade from 3 to 5 weekly flights | A330-200 | 31 march 2009 | ||
| Athens, Greece | 3 | A320-200 | June 2009 | 7 (daily) from 2010 | |
| Istanbul, Turkey | 4 | A320-200 | June 2009 | ||
| Larnaca, Cyprus | 3 | A320-200 | June 2009 | ||
| Chicago, USA | 3 | A340-500 | September 2, 2009 | 7 (daily) from October | [1] |
Codeshare agreements
Etihad has codeshare agreements with the following airlines (as of January 2009):
Fleet
The Etihad Airways fleet consists of 45 aircraft as of March 14, 2009:
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Options | Rights | Passengers (Diamond/Pearl/Coral) |
Routes | Entry into Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 104 (0/20/84) | Short haul | In Service |
| Airbus A320-200 | 9 | 24 | 5 | 15 | 140 (0/20/120) | Short haul | In Service |
| Airbus A330-200 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 200 (10/26/164) 262 (0/22/240) |
Medium-Long haul | In Service |
| Airbus A330-300 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ??? (??/??/???) | Medium-Long haul | 2009 |
| Airbus A340-300 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 265 (10/30/225) | Long haul | Stored |
| Airbus A340-500 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 240 (12/28/200) | Ultra Long haul | In Service |
| Airbus A340-600 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 286 (12/30/244) | Ultra Long haul | In Service |
| Airbus A350-1000 | 0 | 25 | 10 | 15 | ??? (??/??/???) | Long haul | 2017 |
| Airbus A380-800 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | ??? (??/??/???) | Long haul | 2013 |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 5 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 378 (0/28/350) | Long haul | In Service |
| Boeing 787-9 | 0 | 35 | 25 | 10 | ??? (??/??/???) | Long haul | 2013 |
| Total | 42 | 113 | 54 | 50 |
| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Options | Rights | Capacity | Routes | Entry into Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300-600RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 97,000 lbs | Medium haul | In Sevice opb Air Atlanta Icelandic for Etihad Crystal Cargo |
| Airbus A330-200F | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 152,100 lbs | Medium haul | Etihad Crystal Cargo 2011 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 203,860 lbs | Medium haul | In Service opb World Airways for Etihad Crystal Cargo |
| Total | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
On 14th July,2008 Etihad Airways placed orders for upto 205 Aircraft including Firm Orders,Options & Purchase Rights at the 2008 Farnborough International Airshow in the UK worth $43 Billion at list prices.
The new aircraft are scheduled for delivery between 2011-2020. [2].
Awards
Etihad Airways has received over 30 awards since its inauguration in 2003. It has a four star ranking by Skytrax.
Incidents and accidents
- On 15 November 2007 an Airbus A340-600, due to be delivered to Etihad, ran into a concrete blast fence during an engine test at the Airbus factory at Toulouse Blagnac International Airport. The cause was the aircraft not being checked, and the crew not following test procedures. At least five people were injured, there were no fatalities. The aircraft was written off.[6] The aircraft involved was F-WWCJ.[7]
Cabin
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Etihad has three travel classes, First class or Diamond Zone, business class (Pearl Zone) and economy class (Coral Zone). Pearl Zone and Coral Zone are available on all of Etihad's aircraft, whereas Diamond Zone is only fitted on select aircraft depending on the routes served. Personal LCD screens are fitted as standard in all classes.
The Diamond First Class Zone will be changed throughout the long-haul fleet. New suites will be fitted on the aircraft. Also the first class toilets will change. Pearl Business Class will have adjustments to its seats (wider armrests, bigger tv screens, closing up the tv to the seat, and bigger dining tables).
In-flight entertainment
For in-flight entertainment, Etihad uses an AVOD (audio-video on demand) system on its new long-range aircraft. Newer additions to the fleet, as well as some older planes, feature a Plug-And-Play system, which works on USB technology, that allow passengers to play their own audio, video and picture media. Some aircraft have in-flight telephony.
Etihad Guest
Etihad Guest is the airline's frequent flyer program, launched August 30, 2006. It features a discount web shop for loyalty program members and a platform for merchants to log into to manage their products.
Etihad is not part of any airline alliance, but has a partnership agreement with Brussels Airlines, Oman Air and Jet Airways.
Company data and management structure
Etihad's passenger numbers reached more than 4 million in 2007[8]. Etihad has 6,300 members of staff which includes around 3,000 cabin crew and 600 pilots.
Board of directors
Etihad is governed by a board of directors under the chairmanship of HH Dr SH Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan and operates in terms of its founding legislation and the Article of Association of the Company. The Board consists of seven independent non-executive members and has two sub-committees, being an Executive Committee and an Audit Committee, each with its own charter and chairman.
Management team
The airline is led by James Hogan (formerly CEO of Gulf Air) who was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in October 2006.
Corporate sponsorship
- Etihad is a sponsor of UAE sports clubs, including the Abu Dhabi Rugby Union Football Club, the Abu Dhabi International Sailing School and the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club (ADIMSC), as well as the Al-Jazira Club.
- For the 2007 season, Etihad was one of the title sponsors for the Etihad Aldar Spyker F1 Team. Because the team was purchased by the chairman of another airline (Vijay Mallya, of Kingfisher Airlines), Etihad switched to Scuderia Ferrari from 2008 onwards.
- On July 30, 2007 it was announced that Etihad Airways would become the main sponsor of Harlequins rugby club and Harlequins Rugby League club (UK). The sponsorship also includes renaming the East Stand at the Twickenham Stoop Stadium (the home of Harlequins) to the Etihad Stand. Etihad's logo was painted on the roof of the stand which is directly under the flight path to London Heathrow Airport.
- In September 2007 Etihad announced that they had signed a three-year contract to serve as sponsor and official airline of the Chelsea F.C..
- On December 18, 2007 Etihad announced that they would become the title sponsor for the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to be held on Yas Island.
- On March 19, 2008 it was announced that Etihad Airways would become a main sponsor for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship from 2008-10.
- In October 2008, it was announced that Etihad would take over sponsorship of the Docklands Stadium in Melbourne (previously known as the Telstra Dome). The name change to Etihad Stadium took effect on March 1, 2009.
- In December 2008, it was also announced that Etihad would be the official sponsor of Manchester City Football Club.
Controversy
- On April 27, 2007 two Australian businessmen gained international notoriety after behaving badly aboard an Etihad flight to Abu Dhabi.[9] The two mining executives were accused of being drunk, stripping naked and offering flight attendants money for sex. The pair were detained in an Abu Dhabi prison for six weeks, telling news reporters they were treated inhumanely and were forced to live off "fermented camel meat".[10] The men were eventually convicted of sexual harassment, given suspended jail sentences, and deported from the United Arab Emirates.[11] They were also fined 1,000 Dirhams for drinking alcohol aboard an Etihad flight without a liquor permit.[12] The Australians later vowed to sue Etihad Airways.[13] The men were later dropped from the board of directors of the mining company they represented.
References
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 78.
- ^ Rise of the Emirates Empire CNN Money, October 1, 2005
- ^ Annual Report 2006-2007
- ^ Emirates Revenue
- ^ Gulfnews: Etihad in code-share deal with Jet Airways
- ^ "Violation of test procedures led to Toulouse A340-600 crash". Flight Global. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
- ^ "Accident survenu le 15 novembre 2007 sur l'aérodrome de Toulouse Blagnac à l'Airbus A340-600 numéro de série 856" (PDF) (in French). Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la sécurité de l’aviation civile. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
- ^ "ITCA Dubai Market Information". ITCA Dubai. n/a. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Wainwright, Robert (2007-06-09). "First-class fracas, but facts remain in a sky-high fog". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
- ^ Haynes, Rhys (2007-05-29). "Aussie 'held in stifling cell, fed camel meat'". Herald Sun. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ Carter, Paul (2007-06-05). "Deported Aussies being flown home". news.com.au. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ "Men detained in UAE consider legal action". The Age. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
- ^ Wainwright, Robert (2007-06-06). "Deported businessmen set to sue airline". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2007-06-06.