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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, will showcase its commitment to providing unmatched culinary experiences in the air and on the ground after announcing a multi-year partnership with Taste Festivals Ltd, organisers of the world's leading restaurant events since 2004.
The airline, along with many of its Etihad Airways Partners, will have a presence at 15 Taste festivals scheduled in 2016, beginning on 10 March with Taste of Dubai, Taste of Hong Kong and Taste of Sydney.
Additional sponsored festivals will take place across five continents in important Etihad Airways destinations, such as Amsterdam, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Melbourne, Moscow, Paris, Perth, Rome and Toronto, and its home capital city of Abu Dhabi.
Shane O'Hare, Etihad Airways' Senior Vice President Marketing, said: "Aligning with Taste Festivals is a natural progression for a global airline whose mission is to provide remarkable service and hospitality to millions of guests. We deliver this promise through a highly-acclaimed culinary offering and a food philosophy that constantly pushes the boundaries to provide superior guest experience.
"Taste provides us with a platform to highlight our dining innovation across all cabins and in our spectacular lounges. We draw inspiration from the best restaurants and emerging chefs from culinary capitals worldwide, and serve it with the style and sophistication that has become synonymous with the Etihad Airways brand."
Justin Clarke, Director - Taste Festivals, said: "We are delighted to be in partnership with Etihad Airways. Their commitment to being the world's leading culinary airline is both exciting and a testament to the logical brand fit between Etihad Airways and Taste Festivals. We look forward to working with Etihad to communicate their current service and to inspire future innovation."
As part of Etihad Airways' global partnership with Taste, the airline is creating a 'Taste the World' initiative to honor and celebrate rising culinary talents from each of the 13 Taste festivals outside the UAE. These winners will earn a trip to Taste of Abu Dhabi from 3 - 5 November, where they will display their skills and compete against the airline's celebrated Inflight Chefs.
Etihad Airways was recently honoured by Air Transport World as 2016 Airline of the Year, and is the proud recipient of numerous awards for consistently executing a high standard of in-flight dining.
Etihad Airways has elevated the onboard experience in its First Class cabins. The Inflight Chefs, many of whom have come from leading fine dining restaurants, use their culinary expertise to provide highly personalised à la carte dining tailored to each guest. They are also equipped with a pantry of fresh ingredients to fulfill made-to-order requests.
Food and Beverage Managers in Business Class oversee the service of a modern and healthy à la carte menu. They can recommend the perfect accompaniment from the airline's boutique in-flight cellar.
Etihad Airways currently has 235 Inflight Chefs and 495 Food and Beverage Managers, providing the acclaimed First Class and Business Class service for which the airline is widely considered the world's best.
About Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2015 carried 17.4 million passengers. From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to or has announced plans to serve 116 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. The airline has a fleet of 120 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, with 204 aircraft on firm order, including 71 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777Xs, 62 Airbus A350s and 10 Airbus A380s.
Etihad Airways holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Jet Airways, Virgin Australia and Swiss-based Darwin Airline, trading as Etihad Regional. Etihad Airways, along with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Regional, Jet Airways and NIKI, also participate in Etihad Airways Partners, a brand that brings together partner airlines to offer customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits. For more information, please visit: www.etihad.com
About Taste Festivals
Taste Festivals will be hosting 23 restaurant festivals in 2016, setting a new benchmark for food and drink events worldwide. Taste Festivals is owned by IMG Arts & Entertainment, a division of the Events and Federations business unit of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company. All information is correct as of the time of release.
© Press Release 2016
