Etihad Airways has rolled out its first 787-9 Dreamliner, Boeing’s high-tech fuel-efficient aircraft.
Yesterday Etihad said that its first Dreamliner – which can offer fuel savings of up to 20 per cent – will be delivered in December and will initially fly to Doha and Düsseldorf from Abu Dhabi.
In the first half of 2015, Etihad will operate the aircraft to Brisbane, Mumbai, Moscow and Washington – with plans to deploy the aircraft on another 40 routes.
“We have firm orders for more than 100 Boeing wide-body aircraft which include 41 787-9s and 30 787-10s,” said James Hogan, the president and chief executive of Etihad Airways.
Etihad's roll-out comes as Dubai's Emirates Airline says it is still to make a decision on buying the plane.
The Emirates president Tim Clark said earlier this month that the carrier is considering a potential order of the Airbus 350 or the Boeing 787-9/10 Dreamliner after it had cancelled an order of 70 Airbus A350s in June. Mr Clark said that he wants to see the actual fuel performance of the two aircraft, not just their test flights.
Meanwhile, Etihad aims to use its Dreamliner to help it to dominate the luxury traveller segment. The Abu Dhabi carrier raised the stakes of premium travel in May when it decided to revamp the interiors of its Airbus A380 and B787 Dreamliner.
Etihad’s Dreamliners will come in a three-class configuration. The First Suite will feature a a chilled mini-bar and food prepared by a chef on board. The aircraft will also have business studios with larger seats that convert into flat beds.
The Dreamliners will carry Etihad’s new livery that was revealed in Hamburg last week.
In May, Etihad unveiled “The Residence by Etihad” for the upper deck of the Airbus A380 aircraft. Accommodating single or double occupancy, it includes a living room, a separate double bedroom and an en suite shower room. Guests in The Residence will also have a personal butler trained by the Savoy Butler Academy in London.
Ticket prices for The Residence start at about US$20,000 for either one or two people. In addition, the upper deck will have a number of fully private suites, branded First Apartments, with a separate reclining lounge seat and full-length bed, as well as a chilled mini-bar, personal vanity unit and wardrobe.
Premium travel growth was 3 per cent in July, according to Iata, with a slowdown limited to Asia and markets connected to Latin America. Longer-haul markets including the Middle East have performed strongly, it said.
selgazzar@thenational.ae
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