Etihad sees demand outstrip growth
Etihad Airways grew its passenger numbers by 17% to 17.4 million last year, when it operated over 97,000 flights.
The Abu Dhabi-based carrier said the growth in passenger demand continued to outstrip its capacity increase.
The airline carried more than three-quarters of all passengers who travelled to and from Abu Dhabi International Airport. Including its equity partners that operate to the United Arab Emirates capital, it carried 84% of all traffic that passed through the airport.
Etihad launched flights to six new cities last year: Kolkata, Madrid, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Hong Kong and Dar es Salaam as well as a new service to Brisbane.
This year, the airline will start a 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: Düsseldorf, Perth, Shanghai, Istanbul and Johannesburg.
To support the next phase of its global expansion, Etihad Airways will receive 10 new aircraft this year, including five Boeing 787-9s, three A380s and two Boeing 777-200 Freighters.
Chief executive James 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."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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