MIDDLE Eastern carrier Etihad Airways has earmarked
massive expansion for the UK following its giant aircraft order at Farnborough
Airshow.
The airline, which only started operating in March,
has placed orders with Airbus for 24 wide-bodied aircraft, including four
twin-decked A380s, due to come into
service in 2006.
The deal, worth around $7 billion, is one of the
largest in aviation history and unheard of for a new airline.
Chairman Dr Ahmed Bin Saif Al Nahyan confirmed the
A380 would be used on its Heathrow-Abu Dhabi route.
He said: “We are looking at a number of destinations
for the aircraft – Asia, North America and, of course, London.”
UK general manager Peter Dunkin said the
carrier would be looking at more London frequencies and is also reviewing the
possibility of services from the regions.
Etihad will operate eight weekly Heathrow flights and
a daily Gatwick service from the start of the winter schedule.
“London has great potential to act as a feed through
Abu Dhabi to our main destinations, and for services to Abu Dhabi itself.
“The regions are definitely in our plans. If you look
back at what has happened to us since March, who knows what will happen.”
Dunkin also unveiled plans to host more trade
educationals to boost awareness of the carrier.
He said: “We are getting load factors of around 68% at
the moment, which is great for a start-up airline, but there’s a lot of potential
to increase with the help of
the trade.”
The carrier is also planning to launch a television
advertising campaign to raise the public’s awareness.
The order is also made up of
12 A330-200s, four A340-500s and a further four A340-600s.