Etihad Airways has debuted its first Boeing 787 in its just-introduced new livery and confirmed plans to deploy the type on six routes linking its Abu Dhabi hub and three continents by mid-2015.
The 787-9, rolled out from a paint hangar at Boeing’s Paine Field, will be delivered in December and make its debut on the carrier’s Abu-Dhabi- Düsseldorf route by year-end. The aircraft will be configured with 238 seats, including eight in first-, 28 in business- and 199 in economy class.
Etihad is Boeing’s second-largest 787 airline customer, with 71 orders—41 787-9s and 30 787-10s. Only All Nippon Airways (ANA), with 80 total, has more. Etihad’s 787-9s will be configured in both two- and three-class cabins, enabling the carrier to better match demand and the model’s capabilities, Baumgartner said.
Etihad has 104 aircraft in its fleet. Its commitments have it on pace to have a fleet of 206 aircraft by 2025.