Abu Dhabi

It's ‘Plane Sailing’ as Etihad Airways supports Abu Dhani Volvo Ocean Race

Etihad Airways has signed a multi-tiered agreement with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) to support the emirate’s involvement in the 2011/12 Volvo Ocean Race. Read more

Etihad makes two milestones at Manchester Airport

Etihad Airways has marked two significant milestones in Manchester, officially launching a new line maintenance facility and double-daily services to the city.

From today, Etihad operates 14 non-stop Manchester-Abu Dhabi return flights, with onward connections to more than 60 global destinations across the Etihad network. Read more

Etihad to launch more flights to China

Following on from the launch of the Chengdu route yesterday, Etihad Airways has announced today of further plans to expand its network in China with daily non-stop, return services between Abu Dhabi and Shanghai – subject to government approval.

The new flights, scheduled to commence on 1st March 2012, will make Shanghai the airline’s 70th global destination. Read more

Etihad Airways announce 69th destination - Chengdu China

Etihad Airways have today announced their 69th destination – Chengdu in southwest China. The airline  will commence flights from 15th December 2011 – subject to government approval.

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province will be connected to the airline’s hub and home base in Abu Dhabi by four non-stop return services per week. Read more

Etihad to employ 160 in new Manchester Contact Centre

Etihad Airways expands codeshare deal with Royal Air Maroc

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has announced it will extend its existing codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco, providing customers with access to more destinations in Morocco and West Africa.

The new deal will allow Etihad passengers to travel from Casablanca to the Moroccan destinations of Agadir, Laayoune, Fez and Marrakech adding Nouakchott in Mauritania and Dakar in Senegal in the near future. Read more

Etihad wins Airbus top operational excellence award for A340-500/600 fleet

Etihad Airways was awarded the Airbus Top Operational Excellence Award for its fleet of A340-500/600 aircraft at the Airbus Technical Symposium in Berlin last week.

Etihad’s Airbus A340 fleet was awarded after the airline was found to outperform other airline fleets based on a number of criteria for operational excellence over a two-year period.

The criteria for the award includes revenue flight hours, revenue take-offs, changeable operations and average operational delay time over the period from November 2007 to October 2009.

L-R: Mr Juergen Haacker, Chief Operating Officer of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and Mr Werner Rothenbaecher, Etihad Airways’ Executive Vice President – accept the Airbus Top Operational Excellence Award in Berlin. The award was presented by Didier Lux, Executive Vice President Airbus Customer Services and Mr John Grother Vice President A330/A340 Family Programme, Airbus Customer Services.

Etihad Airways Executive Vice President – Technical, Werner Rothenbaecher said: “We are very proud and honoured to receive this award for Top Operational Excellence of our Airbus A340 fleet. This award is the result of hard work of our technical team and a very strong joint operation between Etihad Airways and our partners at Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) which continues to ensure Etihad’s fleet is at the highest standard of safety, reliability and operability.”

John Grother, Airbus’ Vice President A330/A340 Family Programme commented, “Etihad has forged a strong working relationship with Airbus and has shown a remarkable determination and commitment to ensure that the fleet is maintained at a level to support the airline’s goals of service perfection. Etihad Technical is indeed a worthy winner of this award, and can justifiably be proud of its contribution in making Etihad the World’s Leading Airline.”

Etihad Airways has 11 Airbus A340-500 and A340-600 aircraft, as part of a fleet of 52 Boeing and Airbus aircraft. In 2008, Etihad placed the largest aircraft order in aviation history at the Farnborough Airshow with 100 firm aircraft orders due for delivery by 2020.  

Etihad has "World's Best First Class" - Skytrax

Etihad Airways has the world’s best First Class product and service. The confirmation of the news came at the announcement in Hamburg of the results of the latest Skytrax survey of 200 airlines across the world.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline won three titles for its First Class at the Skytrax World Airline Awards, following a poll of almost 18 million global air travellers, from more than 100 countries.

Etihad won the awards for:

• World’s Best First Class;
• Best First Class Airline Seat; and
• Best First Class Onboard Catering

The Skytrax survey is conducted annually, and the awards are among the most prestigious in the industry. The public poll takes into account all aspects of the air travel experience as well as the quality of customer service delivered by each airline’s staff.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are exceptionally proud to have won these three awards for our new and innovative First Class product and service which is now recognised as the world’s best by the ultimate judges – air travellers.

“In 2008 we introduced a new Business Class product and we won the Skytrax award for Best Business Class so it is hugely satisfying, 12 months later, to introduce our new First Class Suite and to win the awards for Best First Class, Best First Class Seat and Best first Class Onboard Service.”

Edward Plaisted, Chairman of Skytrax, said: “This was a fantastic Awards ceremony for Etihad Airways, walking away with the World’s Best First Class Award, the Best First Class Onboard Catering Award and Best First Class Airline Seat, achieving a clean sweep of this premium travel category.”

“On a global basis, out of 200 airlines, Etihad Airways ranked 6th in the world, moving up from 7th in 2009. The World Airline Awards are known as ‘The Passenger’s Choice’, underlining the fact that Etihad Airways are clearly satisfying their hardest critics – the passengers.”

Etihad redefined luxury air travel in 2009 when it unveiled its new First Class cabin suite. The cabin contains 12 individual suites, which have been designed to provide First Class customers with more privacy, greater comfort and increased storage.

Each private suite is accessed by its own sliding door and includes a personal wardrobe and mini bar, as well as 23 inch wide-screen LCD screen. Customers can use the innovative E-BOX system to view a wealth of on-demand television shows, movies and games.

The airline has introduced its “Inspired Service” concept on the ground and in the air, which seeks to provide both its First Class customers with service individually tailored to their needs.

Etihad’s new First Class cabin interior was created by craftsmen from some of the world’s top designers, including luxury leather upholstered by world-renowned Poltrona Frau, which also provides interiors for Ferrari cars.

Key features of the First Class cabin include:

• 82 inch long private suite with a 80.5 inches fully flat bed, with bed width of 29.75 inches
• Each suite with Arabic styled sliding privacy doors
• 23 inch personal TV/video screen, with in-flight entertainment system that allows customers to pause, stop, fast-forward or rewind up to 600 hours of films, TV and radio programmes, and play games
• Personal mini bar
• Illuminated wardrobe with a personal mirror
• In-seat massager, lumbar support and adjustable headrest
• Spacious compartment areas where customers can stow their belongings
• Poltrona Frau leather upholstery
• Extra large (24 inches by 25 inches) wood finished meal table
• In-seat power sockets for PCs, iPod connector, USB ports, Ethernet port and audio jack
• Luxury changing room with full length mirror, raised wash basin and leather fold-down seat
• Luxurious soft furnishings and designer amenity kit

In the air, Etihad Airways long and ultra long haul flights feature the innovative Food and Beverage Manager position.

Many of these managers are from five-star hospitality backgrounds, and are responsible for championing the quality, presentation and delivery of food and beverages on board to ensure consistent high standards.

On the ground, First Class customers flying from Etihad’s home base at Abu Dhabi airport can take advantage of a dedicated concierge service, which ensures that their complimentary limousine service is met kerb-side and they are then escorted quickly inside to the airline’s dedicated premium check-in zone.

The airline has also opened dedicated First and Business class lounges at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi airport, where customers can enjoy a range of services including all-day fine dining, boardroom–style meeting facilities, Six Senses Spa treatments and a champagne bar.

Etihad, which began flying less than seven years ago, built upon its success at the 2009 Skytrax awards where it won the Best Business Class and Best Business Class Catering categories. It also won the title of the World’s Leading Airline at the World Travel Awards in November 2009, as well as six Middle East awards at the WTAs in May 2010.

Related articles

• Etihad Airways wins prestigious award for ‘inspired service’ (planetalkinglive.com)
• Etihad Airways seals $367 million spare engine sale deal (planetalkinglive.com)
• Etihad Diamond First Class (hotelclub.com)

Packed racing weekend for Aston Martin

Aston Martin will be represented all over the world this weekend on race tracks on three separate continents. In California, USA, the works Aston Martin Racing team will contest the second round of the American Le Mans Series at the Grand Prix of Long Beach. In Asia, official customer teams, Hexis Racing and Young Driver will be racing their DBR9s at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for the opening round of the new FIA GT1 series. In Valencia, Spain, the Open GT Championship begins with Aston Martin being represented by Villois Racing in two DBRS9s and a Vantage GT2.

Following on from the podium finish at Sebring last month, drivers Adrian Fernandez (MX) and Harold Primat (CH) will be driving the Lowe’s sponsored 009 LMP1 car at the Long Beach circuit which has an illustrious past stretching back to the mid 1970s. It is completely virgin territory for Aston Martin Racing, which has never competed at the Californian venue before. Long Beach is also a very different type of race compared to the kind of event that the team normally contests, being a short sprint rather than a lengthy endurance epic.

The Grand Prix of Long Beach qualifying session takes place on Friday 16 April at 18:10 (PDT) with the 100 minute race starting at 16:40 (PDT) on Saturday.

In Abu Dhabi, the two DBR9s of team Young Driver will be driven by Darren Turner (GB), Tomas Enge (CZ), Stefan Mücke (GER) and Christoffer Nygaard (DEN). Hexis Racing’s double DBR9 entry will be driven by Frédéric Makowiecki (FR), Jean-Denis Deletraz (CH), Clivio Piccione (MC) and Jonathan Hirschi (CH).

The first round in the FIA GT1 series takes place with two one hour races starting at 16:00 and 19:30 (GST) on Saturday 17 April.

Live coverage of the Grand Prix of Long Beach can be found at www.americanlemans.com and through Radio Le Mans at www.radiolemans.com.

Etihad Crystal Cargo launches service to N'djamena

Etihad Crystal Cargo, a division of Etihad Airways, has announced it will launch a weekly service from its hub at Abu Dhabi International Airport to N’djamena, the capital of the Republic of Chad.

The service commenced last month on March 22 and will operate every Monday to N’djamena. Etihad will be deploying an MD11 freighter with a payload of 88 tonnes on the route.

N’djamena will be Etihad’s first cargo-only destination in Chad and in the region of Central Africa.

Des Vertannes, Executive Vice President of Cargo, said: 

“Trade and business ties between the UAE and Chad continue to grow and we look forward to developing our local partnerships and build a strong customer base in the country, which is widely considered one of the region’s fastest growing economies.

We are very pleased to launch Etihad’s first services to Chad and assist in the development of the country’s economy.”

With its fleet of two Airbus A300-600 aircraft and two MD11, Etihad Crystal Cargo has 21 cargo freighter destinations in the Middle East and Africa and 69 destinations across the globe.

Flight schedule: