Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has signed a firm order for two additional Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft as part of the carrier’s continued growth plans.
Etihad Airways has also converted previous orders for seven A320s to the larger Airbus A321 model.
On October 30, 2012, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways ordered two Airbus A330-200 passengers jets to add to 17 it already had in service. Etihad Airways also has six A330-300s in service and by October 2012 had also ordered four A330-200 Freighters
The Abu Dhabi carrier’s newly ordered Airbus A330-200 widebodies, like its current A330 fleet, will be powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines.
“The reliable and highly versatile Airbus A330-200 has been an integral part of our global passenger and cargo success,” says James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ president and chief executive officer. “As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with.”
Adds Hogan: “Our decision to convert seven of our A320s on order into A321s reflects the increasingly strong demand we are seeing across our different routes and we look forward to taking delivery of our first in November 2013.”
The Airbus A330 family, which spans 250 to 300 seats and includes Freighter, VIP, and Military Transport/Tanker variants, has now attracted orders for more than 1,200 aircraft and around 900 aircraft are flying with more than 90 operators worldwide.
