It expected the occupancy of its flights to reach 85% during the summer season

Etihad Airways: new seasonal destinations during summer and winter

  • Etihad Airways currently operates 68 aircraft, including 5 freighters.

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  • Muhammad Abdullah Al-Balooki: “We expect 2022 to be an important stage in the recovery path, and an expected huge surge in demand for travel during the summer.”

    Photography: Ahmed Ardeti

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The CEO of Operational and Commercial Operations at Etihad Aviation Group, Mohammed Abdullah Al Bulooki, said that the increasing demand for travel encouraged the airline to launch new seasonal destinations in light of the peak and high demand during the summer and winter seasons, pointing to the operation of flights to destinations such as: Zanzibar, Malaga. , Mykonos, Santorini, and Nice.

Occupancy rate

Al-Bolooki added, in statements to the media during the group’s participation in the “Arab Travel Market 2022”, that in light of demand indicators and travel reservations during the summer 2022 season, which is expected to witness an exceptional travel peak, the occupancy rate of the airline’s seats is likely to rise to about 85 % on flights to many destinations, indicating that people's desire to travel increases strongly during long holidays, as this was evident during the Eid Al Fitr holiday, in which the airline's sales recorded an increase of 30%.

He stressed that the seat occupancy rate on the carrier's flights witnessed a significant increase during the first quarter of this year, reaching 77%, expecting the company to record a performance that exceeds expectations during 2022, in light of the levels of demand.

Al-Bolooki expected that the seat occupancy rate on flights operated by the carrier this year would rise to 75% levels, compared to about 52.9% during the past year, pointing out that these indicators reflect the acceleration of the pace of recovery from the effects of the “Covid-19” pandemic, and a return to operational levels. What the company was like before the pandemic.

positive outlook

He also expected that the year 2022 would constitute an important stage in the path of operational recovery, in light of the positive indicators that had clearly emerged during the past months, and the expected large surge in demand for travel during the summer season, especially after lifting travel restrictions and easing measures related to the pandemic in most countries of the world. The performance this year is likely to exceed the target indicators by more than 30% at least.

Resumption of flights

He stated that "Etihad Airways" currently operates 68 aircraft, including five cargo planes, while its flights operate to 67 global destinations, compared to 78 destinations before the pandemic, stressing that the airline has fully resumed its services to many major destinations such as New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and other important markets.

He revealed that with the continued expansion of the carrier's network and fleet, this was accompanied by a similar expansion in employment, as the company employed more than 1,000 hospitality staff during the last period.

new planes

Al Bulooki revealed that Etihad Airways has received five Airbus A350 aircraft, and there are seven other aircraft on the delivery schedule, pointing to the importance of joining this latest model to the airline’s fleet, which contributes to enhancing the company’s efforts to implement its sustainability strategy and provide the finest services. For passengers on board these aircraft, which for the first time offer complete privacy for business class seats, with separate doors for each seat, as well as wireless charging services for phones.

Sustainability Trends

He pointed out that the approach adopted by "Etihad Airways" in the field of sustainability and its commitment to implement it, has received great attention worldwide, pointing out that the company is on its way to achieving its goal, which it committed to in 2019, which is to reach a "zero" rate of carbon emissions by year 2031.

He stated that Etihad Airways is close to achieving its commitment to remove 80% of single-use plastic by the end of 2022, noting that thanks to the launch of a wide series of sustainability initiatives, and the activation of new operational programs to achieve efficiency, the airline was able to reduce its carbon emissions from its fleet. Passengers increased by 5.6% during 2021.

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