According to James Hogan, the parent company’s CEO, Etihad Airways intends to grow in China and Africa to increase traffic and fill any holes in its network.
Speaking in Dublin ahead of the annual general meeting of the International Air Travel Association, he said: “With the exception of China, there aren’t too many gaps that we have in the network.” He cited Africa and China as two key regions with high passenger volumes.
With a fleet of 102 aircraft, the airline offers more than 1,000 flights per week to more than 120 destinations for passengers and cargo in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and North America. as of February 2020, Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
With 14.8 million passengers carried in 2015—a 22.3% increase from the previous year—Etihad generated US$9.02 billion in revenue and US$103 million in net profits. Abu Dhabi International Airport serves as its major base.
The airline will initially fly a Boeing 777 with two classes. Three of the best Chinese gateways will be accessible to travelers thanks to the new route from Etihad. According to the airline, Guangzhou has been added to the routes that currently connect Beijing and Shanghai, which began service in June 2022 and July 2020, respectively.
One of the markets that had recovered from the epidemic the slowest was the travel industry in China. The International Air Transport Association reports that due to China’s ongoing zero-COVID policy, domestic travel there dropped dramatically in May of last year by 73.2%. (IATA).