The airline’s first A350 will be revealed at Dubai Airshow in November and will enter into service in 2022, depending on market recovery
by Deena Kamel
Etihad Airways will reveal its new Airbus A350 wide-body aircraft at Dubai Airshow next month and introduce the fuel-efficient jet to its sustainability test-bed programme, its chief executive said.
The airline will add the Airbus A350, jet-powered by Rolls-Royce XWB engines, to its sustainability programme, which currently uses its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to focus on finding sustainable flight solutions, Tony Douglas, group chief executive of Etihad Aviation Group, told The National.
“We’re going to introduce it to our broader sustainability programme, so it won’t just be the Greenliner, it will be the Greenliner and the A350-1000 because we’ve got the world’s two most efficient aircraft,” he said. “This is going to be part of a far bigger commitment, to say that Abu Dhabi is a thought leader that actually speaks through its actions as opposed to talking a good talk or having no substance behind it.”
Since 2019, when the Greenliner programme began, Etihad and Boeing have operated several flights aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet focusing on plastic-free in-flight products, optimised airspace management, flight deck tools for more eco-friendly take-offs, noise reduction and the use of sustainable aviation fuel.
The airline took delivery of its first A350 three months ago and the engineering team is in the process of fitting out the cabin interior, Mr Douglas said. READ MORE
