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09 February 2025

Etihad carries 14.8m people in 2014, up 23%

Partnerships and codeshare deals helped Etihad to record strong growth in 2014. (Supplied)

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By Staff

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways carried a record number of passengers and cargo in 2014, helped by codeshares and partnership deals.

According to a media statement released on Monday, almost 14.8 million passengers flew with the airline last year, an increase of 23 per cent over 2013 levels.

In total, Etihad carried more than 74 per cent of the 19.9 million passengers who travelled through Abu Dhabi International Airport in 2014. With the addition of the airline’s equity partners that operate flights into the UAE capital, the combined total rises to 82 per cent of passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

James Hogan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said: “Our business model, which focuses on organic network growth, codeshare partnerships and minority equity investments in other airlines, continued to yield positive results in 2014 and surpassed our double-digit targets for passenger and cargo growth.”

Etihad Airways introduced 10 additional destinations to its global route network in 2014, with new services launched to Madina, Jaipur, Los Angeles and Zurich in the first half of the year, and Perth, Rome, Yerevan, Phuket, San Francisco and Dallas in the second half of the year. In addition, frequencies were increased on 23 existing routes across the world in 2014.

The airline also expanded its codeshare and equity partnerships last year.

These partnerships delivered over 3.5 million passengers onto Etihad Airways flights, an increase of 40 per cent over the 2.5 million passengers in 2013.

17% growth in cargo segment

Etihad reported strong cargo growth for 2014, with 568,648 tonnes of freight and mail flown in total, a 17 per cent increase year-on-year. The airline accounted for 89.6 per cent of cargo imports, exports and transfers at Abu Dhabi airport last year.

Over the course of last year, Etihad Cargo enhanced its global reach by offering belly-hold capacity on its 10 new passenger destinations and expanding its freighter services to new markets such as Dar es Salaam, Entebbe, Hanoi and Moscow. A freighter service was also launched from Milan to Bogotá and from Bogotá to Amsterdam, following an agreement with Avianca Cargo, the cargo division of Latin American carrier Avianca.

Etihad Airways’ fleet consisted of 110 aircraft at the end of 2014, with an average age of 5.5 years.