ETIHAD Airways carried a record 8.29 million passengers in 2011, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year. The jump represented an extra 1.197 million passengers on the carrier’s global network covering 82 passenger and cargo destinations. Etihad Crystal Cargo also enjoyed similar spectacular growth carrying a record 310, 000 tonnes, 46,875 tonnes or 18 per cent more than in 2010.
Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer, James Hogan, said “This reflects our commitment to sensible, strategic expansion which is why we launched eight new routes last year.” These were to Bangalore, the Maldives, the Seychelles, Chengdu, Dusseldorf, Tripoli, Shanghai and Nairobi.
Etihad Crystal Cargo also introduced its first Boeing 777F during the year with two more now scheduled for delivery in 2013. “We also delivered exceptional service moving rare and precious goods. These included 100 historic manuscripts from Berlin’s State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin) to the National Library of Australia (NLA) in Canberra and live sturgeon to the first caviar producing firm in the UAE, Royal Caviar. “And we continued to facilitate trade to and from the UAE as the National Carrier and assisted many projects, shows and events as well as humanitarian missions fulfilling our role as a member of Care by Air,” Hogan added.
The airline also recently announced plans to offer inflight passenger connectivity services, enabling them to use their own mobile phones to make and receive phone calls, access mobile data services, and send and receive messages and emails. The aircraft – three Airbus A330-300 and one Airbus A320 – are equipped with inflight passenger connectivity. Another connectivity-enabled Airbus A320 will be delivered in March, a statement from the airline company said. Onboard the A330-300 aircraft, guests will have the same mobile connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi internet capability for personal laptop and tablet use. The aircraft is used for long-haul destinations such as London, Frankfurt, Paris, Geneva, Casablanca and Seoul. During the launch phase, Etihad Airways will offer inflight mobile and tablet connectivity from $10 and laptop Wi-Fi internet connectivity from $20.