ABU DHABI, 28th August, 2014 (WAM) -- Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has reaffirmed its commitment to start Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operations in December this year, with additional flights on sale this week for both aircraft and an extensive pilot training programme now underway.
During its first year of operation, the Airbus A380 will be deployed on Etihad Airways? three daily flights between Abu Dhabi and London, together with selected flights to Sydney, which was confirmed as the second destination to be served by the aircraft. Between December 2014 and June 2015, the Boeing 787-9 will be introduced on six of the airline?s routes, including Dusseldorf, Doha, Washington DC, Mumbai, Brisbane and Moscow. Etihad Airways will debut its exciting new First, Business and Economy Class products onboard the forthcoming aircraft, and will also introduce The Residence by Etihad, a ground-breaking concept exclusive to its Airbus A380, which features the only three-room cabin in the sky. James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said, "Our initial Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flights have been on sale for almost four months and demand has exceeded our expectations, showing that the public share our passion for comfort, service, hospitality and style. "The Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 will play a fundamental role in the development of Etihad Airways? network. On existing high demand routes such as London and Sydney, the A380 will provide additional seats and meet demand for increased capacity, especially in First and Business Class. The Boeing 787-9 will be used to launch flights to new destinations, add capacity in existing markets and progressively replace existing, less-efficient aircraft."Etihad Airways has a total of 10 Airbus A380s on firm order, the first of which will be delivered later this year. The aircraft will initially operate on services between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, starting with flights EY11 and EY12 from 27th December 2014, EY17 and EY18 from 1st March 2015, and EY19 and EY20 from 1st May 2015. As a result, Etihad Airways? London Heathrow route will be served exclusively by Airbus A380 aircraft from next year. Etihad also has 71 Boeing 787s on order, including 41 B787-9s and 30 B787-10s, making it the world?s largest operator of the aircraft type. Deliveries commence this year and the aircraft will operate on the Dusseldorf and Doha routes from December 2014, followed by Washington DC and Mumbai from 1st January 2015, and Brisbane and Moscow from 1st June 2015. Mr Hogan said, "With additional routes for our Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 now on sale, passengers have a unique opportunity to experience the most advanced cabins in aviation history. This applies on services between our Abu Dhabi hub and the selected routes, and seamlessly on connecting services where Abu Dhabi is a stopover. For instance, once the A380 is operating between Abu Dhabi and London Heathrow, and Abu Dhabi and Sydney, our passengers will be able fly on the aircraft between London and Sydney from June 2015."Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2013 carried 11.5 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to 108 existing or announced passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2014.
