Abu Dhabi: Etihad Airways said on Thursday that two banks from Abu Dhabi and one from Saudi Arabia funded the airline’s first Airbus A380 and Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) financed Etihad’s first Airbus A380, while Abu Dhabi’s FGB and Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank (NCB) have jointly funded “a number of” Etihad’s 787-9 Dreamliners.
The three banks funded the aircraft following a request for proposals (RFP). While the amount of the financing was not stated, the airline said that the FGB and NCB facility is Sharia-compliant.
Asked how many 787-9s FGB and NCB have funded, Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive, James Hogan, said: “We’re not talking about financing today.” He was speaking at a press event in Abu Dhabi unveiling the two new aircraft.
In response to a question on plans to finance further aircraft, Hogan said: “We go out with regular RFPs. Tenders will continue to go into the market and we will obviously extract the best possible deal we can so that we’re not blocked into any one banking group.”
