Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways flew 34% more passengers last year than in 2007.

The airline carried more than six million people over the 12 months, with the average seat load factor up from 68% to 75%.

Average seat factors in business class rose to 63% during 2008 with flights to European destinations averaging seat factors of 73%.

Etihad, which has a fleet of 42 aircraft, flew a record 20,937 passengers in a single day on December 19.

The carrier launched six new routes in 2008 – Beijing, Minsk, Almaty, Kozhikode, Chennai and Moscow – as well as signing a record order of $43 billion for up to 205 Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

Chief executive James Hogan said: “Despite the impact of the global economic downturn, Etihad performed extremely well in 2008 and we hit our target of flying more than six million passengers during the year.

“Etihad now has a flight network of 50 global destinations, with an average seat factor of 75%, which is an impressive achievement in just five years of operations.”