Etihad to double passengers and aircraft by 2030

Etihad Airways has carried 20 million passengers in a 12-month period for the first time and its fleet has reached 100 aircraft, but the UAE national carrier is boldly looking to double both metrics by 2030.

 

CEO Antonoaldo Neves now says he wants to grow the fleet to 200 aircraft and serve more than 38 million passengers by 2030.

 

While that may sound ambitious, Etihad has doubled passenger numbers in the last 30 months.

 

“We are the only airline in the region growing at this pace and we have no intention of slowing down,” said Neves. “2025 is proving to be our biggest year yet.”

 

Just recently, Etihad announced seven additional destinations across the Gulf, Caucasus and Central Asia. The new services will connect Abu Dhabi to key cities in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Romania, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Saudi Arabia, and help fill gaps on routes vacated by Wizz Air’s departure from the region. 

 

That makes 27 new routes for 2025, meaning Etihad will connect 90 destinations worldwide to its hub in Abu Dhabi.

 

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The growth strategy is not just about adding new routes but also increasing the frequency to key destinations, according to Neves. Flights to Frankfurt and Barcelona have doubled to twice daily, while Bangkok now receives five daily flights during peak periods.

 

Two thirds of increased capacity is allocated to existing routes, with the remaining third for new routes.

 

Looking ahead, Neves said the focus would be to strengthen in markets within a four-hour radius, including India, Pakistan and the Middle East, with the ultimate aim to offer twice daily flights to all destinations in Europe, Southeast Asia and the eastern United States.

 

In order to meet this demand, Etihad has added three more aircraft into its fleet to surpass the magic 100 milestone, including reintroducing its seventh Airbus A380, taking delivery of new Boeing B787-9 and the first of three Airbus A350-1000s.

 

The airline is expecting to receive 18 more aircraft in 2025, including the A321LR fleet which will enter into service from 1 August. That will include First Suites, lie-flat Business class seats and 4K screens and wifi in all cabins.

 

Neves says Etihad is on track to carry 21.5 million passengers in 2025 and he expects profit margins to increase. In March, the airline saw Q1 profits soar 30% to reach a record US$187 million (AED686 million) compared to 2024. That followed a record annual profit of US$476 million for last year.

 

For more information, visit www.etihad.com