Etihad flying high in first half of 2008
[snip] [uaeinteract.com]
Highlights of the first half year results show that the Abu Dhabi-based airline carried 2.8 million passengers during the first six months of 2008, compared to nearly two million for the same period in 2007. And Etihad also witnessed the busiest day in its four year history on Friday, June 29, with a record-breaking 19,709 customers flown across the airline's network at a seat factor of 85 per cent.
The airline achieved average seat factors of 73 per cent across its network of 45 destinations between January 1 and June 30. Year-on-year this represents an increase in seat factor of nine percentage points and comes as Etihad continues to expand its global flying programme and add aircraft to a fleet that will grow from its current 37 to 45 by the end of 2008. In the second half of the year, the airline will introduce non-stop flights from its Abu Dhabi base to five new destinations.
Etihad's continued growth is supported by recent figures published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which said that Middle Eastern airlines saw an 11 per cent increase in demand during the last 12 months.
According to IATA, the growth in Middle Eastern traffic is attributable to a number of factors which include the region's booming economy, the aggressive development of the tourism industry and additional airport and airline capacity.