Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways marks the 10th anniversary of its first commercial flight on Tuesday. On November 12, 2003, an Etihad Airways flight to Beirut, Lebanon, took off from Abu Dhabi Airport with 60 passengers on board. The airline had been previously unveiled the same year with a flight from Abu Dhabi to Al Ain.
Today, the airline has transformed into a global brand with sponsorships in Australia and the United Kingdom among other countries.
It took eight years for Etihad Airways to go from a start-up to a profitable airline with 16,500 staff and a presence in 56 countries.
Speaking at an event on Sunday night in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer, James Hogan, said the airline’s achievements would not have been possible without the Abu Dhabi government, who are the airline’s sole shareholder.
Over the past 10 years Etihad Airways has emerged as a major player in the aviation industry but has had to play catch up on the other regional players. Qatar Airways was established in the early 90s and Emirates in the mid-80s.
Etihad has also adopted a different strategy to some of its Gulf competitors by taking stakes in other airlines. Today, the airline has stakes in Virgin Australia, Air Berlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, and Aer Lingus. It is also soon expected to take a stake in Indian carrier Jet Airways, which is currently awaiting regulatory approval.
Etihad Airways was established with what Hogan has repeatedly said be a “very clear mandate.” The airline was to be “best in class,” safe and with the “highest operational integrity,” and “sustainably profitable and contribute” to Abu Dhabi.
“I am very pleased to report that we have met our mandates on all fronts. In just one decade we have moved from a start-up airline to one that is firmly established on the world travel stage,” Hogan said at Sunday night’s event.
Hogan joined the airline three years after its launch in 2006. The Australian brought with him years of industry experience across aviation, hotels, and car rental and on Sunday night he was introduced to the audience of corporate staff, VIPs, and members of the Abu Dhabi government and royal family as the “driving force” behind Etihad’s growth.
Speaking to Gulf News on the sidelines of the event, Hogan said “the foundation [for the airline] had been already laid” when he joined.
“The mandate I was given was to continue the journey,” he said.
Since 2003, Etihad has become the world’s fastest growing commercial airline and there is no end in sight. In 2013 the airline launched six new routes and will launch Abu Dhabi to Los Angeles in 2014.
Hogan added that Etihad had created a “new model in today’s fiercely competitive aviation environment.”
Etihad has had to manage the same challenges as its competitors over the past decade whether it is the Arab Spring or a pandemic. “You have to build an airline that is flexible and robust to navigate those challenges that face you every year,” Hogan said.
With 10 years behind one of the youngest airline,s Hogan said he is “very bullish about the future.”
“The next 10 years is a very clear road map. I think Abu Dhabi is one of the most exciting if not the most exciting cities in the world. It’s truly a crossroad to the world with aircraft technology we can fly all points non stop,” he said.
When asked where the airline will embark on next for growth; expansion, partnerships, or more equity stakes — Hogan said “what makes sense.”
