UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has announced the arrival of three new Boeing 787-9 aircraft. These aircraft will begin operations this month, helping Etihad to expand in line with its ambitious roadmap which will see the flag-carrier fly to 125 destinations with more than 160 aircraft by 2030.
Welcoming the latest additions to its expanding fleet at Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport, Etihad said the 787-9s will further bolster Etihad’s fleet as it launches additional destinations over the coming months.
Etihad will begin flying to Boston, its fourth US gateway, on March 31, and will add Nairobi and Bali to the network as well as summer routes to Nice, Malaga, Mykonos and Santorini, said a statement from UAE carrier.
The arrival of the three new Dreamliners follows the new Boeing 787-10 received in October 2023, which added further capacity to support Etihad’s network expansion.
The UAE national airline added new routes to Osaka, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf in quarter four of 2023, as well as Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram in the South Indian state of Kerala on New Year’s Day.
Etihad has also expanded across multiple markets with additional flight frequencies and improved connectivity across the network, it stated.
On the new additions, CEO Antonoaldo Neves said: “We are thrilled to welcome these brand-new, state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliners to Abu Dhabi. Their arrival is key to our network expansion strategy and comes at the perfect time as we continue to add multiple new destinations and expand frequencies into key markets.”
Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners are up to 25% more fuel efficient than many comparable aircraft of their size. In total, Etihad now operates 43 Dreamliners and a total fleet of 88 aircraft including the Airbus A380, A350, A320 family, and Boeing 777.
“These new aircraft support our commitment to Abu Dhabi, allowing us to bring more guests to experience the incredible capital of the UAE, either as their end destination or on a stopover when connecting across our expanding network,” he added.
