Etihad Airways takes big strides

ETIHAD Airways, the national airline of the UAE, continues to strengthen ties with India and equity partner, Jet Airways, following a sponsorship deal naming both airlines as principal sponsors and official airlines of the celebrated Mumbai Indians cricket team.

This is the Abu Dhabi-based airline’s first high profile sports sponsorship in the region and one that underscores its expanding commitment to the Indian market.

Global Aerospace Summit

The power of partnership as a force for growth was emphasised by Etihad CEO James Hogan at the second Global Aerospace Summit, staged in Abu Dhabi in early April8 this year. The summit’s first keynote speaker, he highlighted the importance of partnership in the growth of the UAE’s national carrier, which grew from a $300 million airline in 2006 to a $7.4 billion global aviation and travel business this year.

“It has been about partnership, about building a network, about supporting jobs and delivering economic growth,” he said. “Our partnerships have allowed us to expand into more markets, bringing more competitive choice to consumers and delivering commercial benefits to our partners.”

In addition Hogan shared details with delegates at the Global Aerospace Summit about the impressive plans for the new Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi Airport. With construction well underway, the iconic Midfield Terminal will be open in 2017 with an annual capacity of 30 million passengers.

RECRUITMENT IN UK ABD JAPAN

British and Japanese nationals who are hospitality professionals were given the opportunity to take their career high into the sky by joining Etihad Airways’ World’s Leading Airline Cabin Crew. New cabin crew members will undergo a seven-week training programme conducted at Etihad Airways’ state-of-the-art Training Academy in Abu Dhabi.

Nearly 1,222 British nationals currently work for Etihad Airways, including 688 core staff, 367 cabin crew and 167 pilots.  And nearly 100 Japanese nationals currently work for Etihad Airways, including 54 cabin crew and three pilots.

Etihad Airways commenced services between Abu Dhabi and Japan in February 2010 with an initial four weekly flights to Nagoya, followed in March 2010 by a daily service to Tokyo (Narita). The airline currently operates daily flights between Abu Dhabi and both Japanese cities.

TRAVELPLUS AWARDS

Etihad Airways has picked up two coveted Travelplus Awards for its unique ‘Inspired by Sougha’ amenity bags and its new all-natural First Class Coco-Mat bedding.

The airline won the awards for ‘Ethically Sustainable Amenity Kit’ and ‘In-Flight Amenity-Gift’ at the annual Travelplus gala awards ceremony held in Hamburg last month.

Over 120 submissions and entries in 20 categories were judged using a strict set of criteria covering trend, pleasure, luxury, usability and style.

Launched in February this year, the new kits are the result of Etihad Airways’ partnership with Sougha, a social enterprise initiative launched by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, which aims to preserve Emirati traditions and promote local artisans.

INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS

Etihad Airways has commenced daily operations between Jaipur and Abu Dhabi. A traditional lamp lighting ceremony greeted the disembarking passengers at Jaipur to celebrate the new service and the airline’s tenth destination in India.

Craig Thomas, Etihad Airways’ Regional General Manager-Asia Pacific North and Indian Subcontinent, said: “The addition of the Jaipur service reinforces Etihad Airways’ commitment to the Indian Subcontinent.  We are confident that the new flights will continue the strong passenger growth between India and the UAE.”

Etihad Airways’ new daily service will be operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft in a two-class configuration, featuring 16 Pearl Business Class seats and 120 Coral Economy Class seats.

With the addition of Jaipur, Etihad now serves a total of 10 Indian cities including Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, New Delhi and Trivandrum.

Latvian flag carrier airBaltic has expanded its codeshare agreement with UAE national airline Etihad Airways to include routes from Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich (from June 1) to Abu Dhabi and Riga.

Subject to government approvals, the newly added codeshare routes will see airBaltic and Etihad Airways offer 37 connecting return flights per week between Riga and Abu Dhabi, with both airlines placing their respective BT and EY flight codes on services to and from these cities.

airBaltic already places its BT flight code on Etihad Airways flights between Abu Dhabi and Muscat, and Etihad Airways currently places its EY flight code on airBaltic services beyond Riga to 10 northern European cities. These include: Bergen, Billund, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stavanger, Stockholm, Tallinn, Turku, and Vilnius.

Subject to further government approvals, Etihad Airways plans to place its EY flight code on airBaltic services beyond Riga to Kiev, Tbilisi, Palanga, and Gothenburg.