The Abu Dhabi-based carrier Etihad Airways is expanding its fleet with a substantial purchase of widebody aircraft as operations recover from recent regional conflicts, the company’s CEO announced during an international airline industry conference.
Speaking at a gathering of airline executives in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, CEO Antonoaldo Neves revealed that the Middle East carrier is acquiring widebody jets in double-digit numbers, though he declined to provide specific figures about the purchase.
According to Neves, the airline anticipates operating at approximately 8% above last year’s capacity levels by June 15, marking a significant recovery from service reductions implemented in March.
The carrier had scaled back operations earlier this year when the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran expanded regionally, leading to increased fuel costs and operational challenges, Neves explained.
Despite the recent turbulence in the region, the airline executive indicated that Etihad has no current plans to reduce expenses through additional flight cancellations.
“The biggest cost we have is an empty plane,” Neves stated. “So the way I cut cost is I don’t have empty planes.”
