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Etihad Airways
- IATA/ICAO Code:
- EY/ETD
- Airline Type:
- Full Service Carrier
- Hub(s):
- Abu Dhabi International Airport
- Year Founded:
- 2003
- CEO:
- Tony Douglas
- Country:
- United Arab Emirates
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Airbus
- Stock Code:
- AIR
- Date Founded:
- 1970-12-18
- CEO:
- Guillaume Faury
- Headquarters Location:
- Toulouse, France
- Key Product Lines:
- Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380
- Business Type:
- Planemaker
Etihad Airways made headlines this morning when it was announced that the Abu Dhabi-based UAE flag carrier had signed a firm order for seven Airbus A350 Freighters. The airline also flies five examples of the passenger A350-1000, having introduced the type earlier this year. But which routes do they serve? Let's find out!
A6-XWA
We'll start alphabetically by looking at A6-XWA. According to the latest data made available by RadarBox.com (as will be the case for each aircraft's usage), its most common destination has been Mumbai, with 60 movements in the last year. Another Indian destination, namely New Delhi, is close behind, with 56 flights.
Rounding off the podium we have Saudi Arabia's Jeddah, to which A6-XWA has flown 35 times. This puts it just ahead of the Egyptian and Turkish hubs of Cairo and Istanbul, both of which have seen 32 visits. Interestingly, very recent usage has seen trips to Chicago and New York. While RadarBox's annual calculations don't yet factor these in, they will likely rank high in future analyses of A6-XWA's usage.
A6-XWB
Next on the list, we have A6-XWB, which stands out from its counterparts thanks to its striking special livery. For this aircraft, Istanbul has been the most common destination, with 67 flights. This puts it just ahead of Mumbai, which has 59.
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Most of the remaining destinations are familiar, with Jeddah (48), New Delhi (38), and Cairo (10) making up the next three. However, after these, we have some European flavor in the form of two trips each to London Heathrow and Paris CDG. With Etihad looking to fully launch the A350 on its London route in September, LHR will likely climb the rankings in the coming months.
A6-XWC
Much like A6-XWA, the most common destination for A6-XWC is Mumbai, with 61 flights in the last year, as per the latest RadarBox data. However, its Indian counterpart, New Delhi, doesn't rank quite as highly. Indeed, with just 40 flights, it lags behind both Jeddah (56) and Istanbul (46). Meanwhile, Cairo has 10 visits.
A6-XWC also appears to be another example of the A350-1000 that Etihad has begun deploying on US-bound routes. Indeed, recent weeks have seen multiple flights to Chicago and New York squeezed between trips to India.
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A6-XWE
When it comes to A6-XWE, this particular A350-1000 has seen comparatively minimal usage. Indeed, just five destinations are listed as having been served by this aircraft (besides Etihad's hub at Abu Dhabi International). Of these, the most common is Mumbai, with 42 visits thus far. Istanbul and New Delhi are tied on 20.
Just behind this pair is Cairo, with 18 flights, and Jeddah rounds out the top five with eight visits as per RadarBox's latest data. However, once again, New York and Chicago have become recent staples for this aircraft.
A6-XWF
Etihad's fifth and final active Airbus A350-1000 is A6-XWF, whose most visited destination is also Mumbai, with 18 flights. The newest addition to Etihad's A350 fleet, its first trip to Mumbai was on June 1st, 2022. It has also seen 14 trips to Jeddah, and nine to Cairo. Rounding out the top five, we have new Delhi and Istanbul, which had eight and four visits respectively when the data was compiled.
What do you make of how Etihad is using its A350s? Have you flown on one yet? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!