It was announced today that Etihad will buy seven new cargo freighters from the European aeroplane manufacturer, Airbus.
Seven new A350Fs for Etihad’s fleet
Abu Dhabi based airline Etihad has signed a “Letter of Intent” for seven new Airbus A320F freighters to be added to its fleet. The airline currently owns five A350-1000s in passenger configuration. The announcement was made yesterday at the 2022 Singapore Airshow. Airbus has said that Etihad has also selected Airbus’s ‘Flight Hour Services’, their comprehensive repair and maintenance package.
Etihad Aviation Group CEO, Tony Douglas said:
“Etihad is delighted to extend our relationship with Airbus to include this remarkable aircraft as part of our freighter fleet for the future”
“As our cargo operations continue to overperform and we work towards a more sustainable future built upon the world’s youngest and most fuel-efficient fleet, the addition of the A350F will play a key role in driving our long-term cargo strategy and achieving our 2035 target to reduce CO₂ emissions by 50%.”
Christian Sherer, CEO of Airbus stated:
“We are pleased to sign this agreement with our long standing partner Etihad, shortly before this most discerning airline also introduces A350 passenger service. Thank you Etihad for endorsing the game changing nature of the new A350F”
About the A350F
The A350F is Airbus’s freighter model from their A350 series. The A350 is Airbus’s long-range wide-body airliner, designed to optimise fuel efficiency and range. Over 70% of the airframe is made of ‘advanced materials’ to give the plane a 30 tonne lighter take off weight, and generating 20% lower fuel consumption and emissions than its current closest competitor. At present, Etihad’s entire cargo fleet consists of 5 Boeing 777F’s. Last year, Etihad announced that they would be retiring their entire fleet of 19 passenger 777-300(ER)’s, as well as their A380s, but the airline has not yet revealed their plans for the 777F’s.
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