Over the past few years, the fleet of Etihad Airways has gone through quite a transformation.
The airline no longer operates the Airbus A330, A340 or A380, and on the Boeing side,
the 777-200LR is no longer an active type while the 777-300ER is being phased out.
While an ongoing theme for most airlines is that the pandemic was responsible for
large swathes of fleet retirements, it's not as much the case for Etihad. Today,
we look at the airline's fleet in 2022 and how exactly it got to this point.
At a glance, the mainline Etihad Airways passenger fleet consists of four separate
aircraft types which further divide into six different variants. These are as follows:
14 Airbus A320-200s - which average 11 and a half years
Nine Airbus A321-200s - which average 8 years
Five Airbus A350-900s - which have an average of 3 and a half years
On the Boeing side there are Nine 777-300ERs
which average 12 years Nine 787-10s - average 3 and a half years
And finally, 30 Boeing 787-9s - average nearly five and a half years
This makes for a total of 76 active passenger aircraft. However,
it's worth noting that the airline also has five 777Fs which make up its
dedicated cargo fleet. These jets average seven and a half years.
Fleet simplification and operational optimization have been major goals for
Etihad over the past few years. Finding itself in debt after a long string of bad bets,
the airline needed to turn things around. Indeed, Etihad investments have included
large stakes in now-failed airlines like Air Berlin, Alitalia, and Jet Airways (pre-revival).
In addition to unprofitable investments, the airline's diverse and inefficient fleet
had been eating away at profits, and something needed to change.
With this in mind, Etihad has phased out four types (six variants) since about 2015.
According to Planespotters.net, the types and approximate exit dates are as follows:
Airbus A330-200s began exiting the fleet as early as 2014 with A330-300s
leaving around 2018. Most of these aircraft would be gone by mid-2019.
Almost all Airbus A340-500s and -600s would leave in 2017,
with the first of these jets exiting in late 2015.
Prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Etihad removed its Airbus A380s from service in
March 2020. These have yet to return although there may be a sliver of hope
that this former flagship returns. More on this in a later section!
And finally, on the Boeing side,
the carrier removed its Boeing 777-200LRs over the first few months of 2018.
It should be noted that the airline has been phasing out its Boeing 777-300ER fleet as well,
although this process has yet to be completed. At the time of production,
the airline has already given up 11 of these, which were removed
beginning in late 2020. The most recent 777-300ER exit took place in April 2022.
Most of this fleet transformation was part of
a five-year plan. Due to the devastation of the pandemic,
the airline actually found itself running about a year ahead of schedule on this plan.
As we learned from an interview with the airline's CEO, Etihad’s fleet
is well-positioned to take advantage of this recovery. Airline chief Tony Douglas explained,
“Sadly, we took the decision to park our Airbus A380s. We got out of Triple Seven
as one of our aircraft types, as well as the A330. We elected to consolidate,
which was always our plan, around a very efficient and sustainable fleet of the 787
and also the introduction of the A350-1000. So a sizable fleet consolidation exercise.”
The other half of the airline's fleet transformation plan consists of taking
new and efficient aircraft. The bulk of this has consisted of Boeing 787-9s, which
Etihad began accepting as early as December 2014. More recently, in late 2018, the carrier
began 787-10 operations and has most recently launched services with the Airbus A350-1000.
“You’ll see of us a very focused, a very disciplined operating model,
which is heavily built around the fleet type of 787 Dreamliner and
the A350-1000.” CEO Tony Douglas added in his interview with Simple Flying.
While the A350s are now operating some popular long-haul routes out of
Etihad's Abu Dhabi home, the Boeing 787 continues to be the backbone of
the Etihad fleet. The airline is expecting even more Dreamliners in the years to come,
with ch-aviation.com noting that the airline is expecting 11 787-9s and 21 -10s.
Indeed, one -10 has already been built and is currently sitting in storage.
The aircraft registered A6-BMJ was built before FAA/Boeing production halt and flown to
Victorville for storage in February 2021. With Boeing now cleared to deliver 787s once again,
hopefully Etihad won't have to wait too long to get this 'new' addition.
The Airbus A350-1000 began flying with Etihad in March 2022 and is the airline's newest type.
It's interesting to note that the type entered service less than a year ago, but the aircraft
are now between two and a half to three and a half years old. This delayed entry into service was
largely due to the pandemic, which saw the A350s sitting in storage for nearly two full years.
According to ch-aviation.com, there are more of these Airbus twinjets coming. Indeed,
the site notes that 15 have yet to be delivered. At present, the A350 serves
just five destinations from Abu Dhabi: New York JFK, Chicago, Delhi, Mumbai, and London.
The Airbus A380 has been a hit or miss type of aircraft for airlines around the world.
For Emirates, the type is a core part of its operations and business model. And
while Air France, Hi Fly and eventually China Southern have decided that they'd
be better off without the aircraft, British Airways and Singapore Airlines, among others,
seem fairly committed to operating the superjumbo for a few more years to come.
Indeed, every airline's A380 story (or A380 plan) seems to be different. For
Etihad, the type was stored in 2020 and has yet to re-emerge from hibernation. CEO Tony Douglas told
Simple Flying in September 2021 that its lack of re-activation was due to its inefficiency, saying:
"Sadly, the aircraft [A380] is handicapped by two engines too many,
and also a generation of engine design, which is way behind the modern era engines
that power today the likes of the 787 and A350 in particular. So we can compare and contrast
how we put service onto our network through 787...We can almost operate two and a half,
787s for the cost of putting one A380 on and it simply doesn't make economic sense anymore."
That being said, Simple Flying more recently spoke to the airline's Chief FInancial Officer,
Adam Boukadida, who reports that the airline still hasn't completely ruled
out bringing back the type. Massive surges in travel demand have seen airlines like
Lufthansa and Qatar Airways make decisions to reactivate some of their parked superjumbos.
During a September 2022 interview, when asked about an A380-return, Boukadida told us:
“The answer is who knows? I haven't said today that we're not going to,
and I'm not going to say today that we’re going to...If it makes financial sense to do so,
then for sure we'd look at it, but at the moment we're not planning to do so. What we are doing,
and we continue to do, is to review the business case on a very frequent basis.”
While the A380 is less efficient and less agile in terms of operations, it may still
be a profitable aircraft type for Etihad - and it's not just about making the most of busy,
slot-restricted airports like London Heathrow. That's because the airline's superjumbos have some
unique and high-yield-generating products. These include the airline's first class,
which consist of nine closed suites, known as ‘Apartments.’ Passengers flying in this class
had access to the aircraft's onboard showers. The Etihad A380s also featured something above
first class known as "The Residence." This was a three-room apartment complete with an ensuite
shower room, a private bedroom, a separate living area, and even a dedicated butler!
One of the more interesting and unique aspects of the Etihad fleet is a
single Boeing 787-10 registered A6-BMH. Painted in a light blueish-green color,
this Dreamliner has been officially dubbed the "Greenliner" and is
Etihad's focal point for demonstrating and implementing sustainable initiatives.
The Greenliner is part of Etihad's larger Greenliner Program, which sees the airline
join forces with Boeing and GE in a strategic, global eco-partnership. Indeed, going beyond the
aircraft, this program sees the use of electric tractors for baggage and freight loading, as well
as optimized flight route planning and continuous descent for lower fuel burn. Most often, A6-BMH
is used to quote "trial, develop and calculate the impact of a number of different changes."
As we have seen over and over again in our fleet deep dive series, Boeing's misfortune has had an
impact on airline fleets. The 787 delivery halt resulted in many airlines waiting one
to two years for their built-but-not-delivered Dreamliners, while delays to the 777X program
continue to leave large carriers wondering when they'll receive their new flagships.
Thankfully, Boeing seems to have overcome its 787 issues and is clearing its delivery
backlog. However, a timeline for 777X delivery and entry into service remains unclear. This,
of course, impacts Etihad and its order for the type.
The initial Etihad Boeing 777X order was placed in November 2013 at the Dubai Air Show.
As we've noted in previous reporting, this order was divided between 17 of the larger
Boeing 777-9 and eight of the shorter 777-8 model. Additionally, the airline
announced purchase rights for 12 additional jets. At the time Etihad placed its order,
the expectation was that the type would be in service by 2020. Last year, there was some
expectation for the type to enter service by 2023 but this has since been changed again to 2025.
With all of this uncertainty, it's no surprise that Etihad is also unclear on when its order from
Boeing will come through and when the type will enter service with the middle eastern carrier.
Another point of interest with regards to this Etihad order is
that the carrier was the first to commit to the shorter 777-8X variant. However,
Boeing appears set to prioritize the 777-9X for entry into passenger service,
while also committing to a freighter based on the 777X platform. As a result, it would
appear that the 777-8X as a passenger aircraft will be third-in-line for entry into service.
With the 777X aircraft at least a few years away,
what can we expect the Etihad fleet to look like in the years to come? Well,
we know that the Boeing 787-9, 787-10 and Airbus A350-1000 will be the core of the
Etihad fleet far into the future. But what about the airline's short-haul, narrowbody fleet?
While the airline's A320s and A321s aren't all that old in the grand scheme of things,
they are certainly of the older generation. Indeed, it could be argued that their use
offers an area of improvement when it comes to Etihad's goal of being a more sustainable airline.
But while Etihad has 26 A321neos on order, they don't seem to be in the airline's plans.
Presenting at a CAPA Leader Summit in Manchester in April 2022, the carrier noted that its A321neo
order will most likely find a new home with its joint venture low-cost carrier, Air Arabia.
This interesting piece of news has us wondering what exactly Etihad will do with
its narrowbody fleet, considering no direct replacements have been publicly announced.
At the same time, the airline's plan to push its A321neos over to Air Arabia makes us think that
the airline could mimic the relationship that Emirates has with flydubai - "outsourcing" its
lower-capacity, short and medium-range operations to a partner airline. In the case of Etihad,
it would be Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. This setup would allow Etihad to focus its fleet on the
most popular destinations while still providing connectivity to smaller cities across the region.
What do you think of Etihad's fleet in 2022? Are you sad to see it no longer
operating big jets like the Airbus A340 and A380? And what are your
thoughts on its 787 and A350 focus? Let us know by leaving a comment!