Etihad wants to double in size at its new home base

The Arabs now have 83 active aircraft, but by 2030 there should be more than 160. The number of passengers will even more than double, to 33 million per year. And the number of destinations served will then be at least 125.

At least that is what is stated in the ambitious growth plan that Etihad presented during the Dubai Airshow. According to the airline, the expansion will provide an important boost to Abu Dhabi’s economy and provide more jobs and connectivity.

Learned from the past
Etihad emphasizes that growth must occur in a profitable, sustainable manner. The company has learned from the past, when it wanted to expand too quickly by buying shares in poorly performing foreign companies (airberlin, Alitalia) and losses quickly mounted.

That failed adventure was followed by a major reorganization to eliminate billions in losses. The society did not grow for years, but now it is time for expansion again. Etihad already has dozens of new aircraft on order that can help with this.

“The opening of our new home port, Terminal A, is the perfect springboard for our growth,” CEO Antonoaldo Neves said this week. The $3 billion terminal can handle 45 million passengers annually, with expansion options of up to 80 million.

Terminal A was already featured in the most recent Mission Impossible film. Since this week, daily flights to Schiphol have also been operated from there. Photo: Abu Dhabi Airport