The Best Airlines

In 2003, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a royal decree which established Etihad Airways as the national airline of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Its main base is Abu Dhabi International Airport. Etihad Airways has 49 international destinations. It operates in the following regions: the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Europe, North America, Oceania, Far East, and Africa. In 2004 it carried 340,000 passengers and by 2008 the airline carried more than six million passengers.

On 12 November 2003, Etihad launched its services with a traditional flight to Al Ain. On the same day, it also launched its services to Beirut and started its commercial operations. Its first direct flight was on June 2004 from UAE to Geneva. It added flights to Brussels and Toronto in October 2005.

Etihad is administered by a board of directors under HH Dr SH Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan’s chairmanship. The Board is composed of seven independent non-executive members and two subcommittees: Executive Committee and an Audit Committee, both have its own charter and chairman.

Since its inception, the airline has not made a profit; however, it expects to profit by 2010. Growth has doubled in size every six months in its first four years and doubled every year since. Growth has never fallen 40% a year. In 2007, International Airport Association statistics shows that Etihad was included in the top-ten airlines in the world. Etihad Airways has a four-star ranking by Skytrax, a United Kingdom-based consultancy, and has obtained 30 awards ever since its inauguration in 2003.