Etihad Airways is celebrating a major milestone this week: it’s 15th birthday. In 15 short years since the UAE carrier took its first flight, it has already proved to be one of the world’s leading airlines.
To mark the occasion, designer Diane von Furstenberg has worked with Etihad Airways to design limited edition cabin crew scarves and ties, which were introduced at a star-studded event at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The airline’s cabin crew will wear the stylish new accessories throughout the month of November to celebrate its 15-year anniversary and its 10 year partnership with the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
There are three distinguished patterns for the various cabin crew positions on board, chosen to match the airline’s colour pallet: bold yellow for cabin managers, purple for cabin crew and white for Food and Beverage Managers.
Etihad Airways took its inaugural flight on 5 November 2003, with a single Airbus A330-200 aircraft, which performed a symbolic flight to the emirate of Abu Dhabi’s historic city of Al Ain.
Regular commercial flights were launched on 12 November of the same year from Abu Dhabi to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Fast forward 15 years and the national airline now operates a next-generation fleet of over 110 modern Boeing and Airbus aircraft, flying to 84 passenger and cargo destinations.
So far Etihad has taken over 840,000 passenger flights, carrying 139 million guests from across the world, served by 22,000 staff from over 150 countries.
Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group Tony Douglas said he was tremendously proud of Etihad’s achievements in just fifteen years.
“In this short time, we have emerged as one of the world’s most respected and recognised airline brands, known for leading the way through innovation, and upholding the best aspects of Arabian hospitality.”
Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group Tony Douglas
“We express sincere thanks to our customers, our corporate and travel trade partners here in Abu Dhabi and around the world, and our people for their invaluable loyalty and support,” he said.