Etihad reports 10% rise on pre-pandemic levels

Gulf carrier Etihad has seen strong growth in the domestic market post pandemic and is expecting to fly more Indian passengers this year than 2023, which saw around 3-million Indians boarding its flights, a top executive at the airline has said. The Abu Dhabi-based national carrier, according to its chief revenue and commercial officer Arik De is also a strong ”believer” in competition and is not afraid of it. ”Etihad is actually back with a bang in the Indian market. Our numbers are over 10 per cent higher than they were pre-pandemic,” De said. Noting that the airline came back ”pretty strongly” in 2023 itself, he said, ”we grew capacity by over 40 per cent and then in 2024 we plan to finish the year with around 35-40 per cent further growth.” Moreover, the airline carried around three million Indians last year and this number is obviously set to grow this year as well, he stated. Etihad earlier this month, announced entering into a pact with five-times IPL champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to become its official sponsor. The airline has definitely seen a shift in traffic pattern post the pandemic. ”One interesting trend we’re seeing is the amount of Indians, especially young ones, who are willing to go to new destinations and try out new things,” he said. According to him, the airline as part of this pattern is also seeing a lot more Indians in its premium cabins (business and first class), which also speaks about the strength of India’s (fast-paced) economic growth. ”Premium segment growth is tracking ahead of our overall capacity. Roughly speaking, we continue to see some 15-20 per cent growth in our premium segments. It’s one of the reasons why in India, we’re putting our best foot forward, in some ways,” he said.