Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways said on Thursday it has bagged the award for “Fastest Growing Airline to the Middle East” at the 2013 Athens International Airport (AIA) Airline Marketing Workshop, for the second consecutive year.
The award comes on the back of Etihad Airways’ rapid development over the past one year, coupled with delivering high quality service between Greece, the Middle East and beyond, the Abu Dhabi-based airline said in a statement.
It added that since commencing daily operations to and from Athens in June 2009, the carrier has carried almost 300,000 travellers on the route.
Calling Athens-Abu Dhabi connection a great success for the airline, Dimitrios Karagkioules, Etihad Airways’ General Manager for Greece, said, the carrier’s numbers and load factors continue to perform well on the route.
Earlier this month, Etihad Airways reported a net profit of $42 million in 2012, marking a 200 per cent increase over last year’s $14 million net profit.
Boasting a fleet of 72 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and over 90 aircraft on firm order, including 10 Airbus A380s, the airline Airways last year carried 10.3 million passengers. It also began to fly to six new destinations in the year, including Tripoli, Shanghai, Nairobi, Lagos, Ahmedabad and Basra.
On an aggressive acquisition spree, Etihad holds equity investments in airberlin, Air Seychelles, Virgin Australia and Aer Lingus.
Continuing with a strong expansion plan, Etihad has also announced new flights to Washington, Amsterdam, Sao Paolo and Ho Chi Minh City for 2013. And planned fleet upgrades for 2013 include 14 aircraft, with 11 passenger aircraft deliveries and three freighter deliveries.
From its hub in Abu Dhabi, Etihad Airways serves 86 passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.
