Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has taken delivery of its first new Airbus A330-200 at Abu Dhabi International Airport.
Commenting on the new aircraft, Chairman of Civil Aviation Department in Abu Dhabi and Etihad airways Chairman, Dr Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al Nahyan stated, “Our fleet is growing fast, providing us with brand new, purpose designed aircraft to service the airline’s existing and rapidly expanding route network.”
Etihad now offers flights to 27 destinations - and plans to fly to 70 destinations by 2010.
The first A330-200, purpose built to Etihad specifications will incorporate 262 seats in a twin aisle configuration across two Zones, with 22 seats in Pearl Zone and 240 seats in Coral Zone. The aircraft has been designed to be consistent with Etihad’s aim to treat everyone as a distinguished Guest.
In Pearl Zone, each self-contained seat provides Guests with a 180 degree, fully flat bed and direct aisle access allowing Guests to move without disturbing other Guests. The self-contained seats are also equipped with a 15” LCD monitor, the latest Audio-Video-On-Demand (AVOD) and revolutionary mood lighting enhancing the overall Guest experience.
In Coral Zone, Guests enjoy a spacious seat with up to 32” seat pitch, 10.4” seat back LCD monitors and the same luxuries as Pearl Zone in AVOD, mood lighting and fusion cuisine.
The A330-200 aircraft provides wide-spread benefits to Etihad Crystal Cargo with its greater cargo capability and lower maintenance costs. The A330-200 has the ability to carry 15 tons of cargo over medium-capacity routes.
Etihad has been voted the world’s leading new airline and will carry more than three million passengers in 2006.
