Etihad reports best-ever first quarter results

Etihad Airways has today reported its best-ever first quarter results, showing revenue up 28 per cent to just under US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn), and passenger numbers up half a million to 2.4 million.

Total revenue for 2011 had been $4bn, and the president and chief executive officer James Hogan said the airline was on target to beat its $5bn revenue target for 2012.

"We met all our revenue targets and budget estimates for the first three months of 2012 despite the challenging economic conditions", he said.

The airline also announced plans to launch new services to South America and Vietnam next year.

The number of seats filled per flight reached a record high of 76.5 per cent compared to 72.7 per cent for the same period in 2011, and cargo revenue was also up from $142m for the first three months of 2011, to $159m this year.

dblack@thenational.ae

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