Face-to-Face: Michael Tan, Singapore Country Manager, Etihad Airways
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1) Since your inaugural commercial flight in November 2003 how are Etihad’s growth plans now developing?
We are in a fairly unique position in the current global airline environment; building a new premier brand, while several legacy carriers are scaling back and cost cutting. In just over six years we have built a network covering 60 cities and by 2020 we are projecting that we will fly to around 100 cities with 155 aircraft in our fleet. We have, of course, been able to ensure that our hardware is state of the art with one of the youngest fleets and cutting-edge technology and in-flight product. Our objective has always been to be the best airline in the world, challenging the established conventions of airline hospitality. But beyond that we are pleased that the service side of our operations has achieved such a high standard – culminating in winning the 2009 World Travel Award as the World’s Leading Airline.
2) How is Etihad positioned in the market place?
We are a premium international long-haul carrier offering the best of Arabian hospitality. Our style and service is very much multi-cultural and global, drawing the best of boutique five-star hospitality from around the world, but with an Arabic essence of hospitality and respect. We refer to all our passengers as “Guests” and this is the guiding philosophy of our service style. We aim to serve them as if they were flying on a luxury hotel in the air. Structurally we operate out of our hub in Abu Dhabi, which is ideally situated between the East and the West to 60 destinations globally. We also have code share or interline agreements with 20 major carriers around the world including Qantas and Lufthansa and domestic carriers like British Midland and ANA, to give us connections to destinations we don’t yet serve directly.
3) How are your plans for fleet expansion developing?
We announced the largest aviation order in commercial aviation history at the Farnborough international Airshow in 2008, for up to 205 Aircraft - 100 firm options and 50 purchase rights. We followed this with a major engine deal at Paris Airshow in 2009. This fleet planning is designed to help support the vision and development of our home base in Abu Dhabi as a major global business and tourism destination. In 2009 we carried around seven million passengers and we aim to develop a profitable and sustainable airline serving over 100 destinations and providing employment for around 27,000 people by 2020.
4) What sort of innovations have you been able to bring to the travel experience with Etihad?
Our intention is to infuse the experience of flying Etihad with the excitement and joy of travel, which many people seem to have lost in this day and age. For our premium Diamond First class and Pearl Business class passengers we offer a door-to-door service that starts from a chauffeured limousine collection at our guest’s house. In our premium airport lounges in Abu Dhabi, London and Frankfurt, we have the Six Senses Spa treatments available, plus day beds and state of the art business centres. We plan on opening additional lounges around our network during 2010. In our Abu Dhabi lounge we have a special family room with well-trained staff to look after children while you wait to board. On the aircraft, children receive activity packs and special kiddies’ meals. Both First and Business Class offer fully reclining beds and all seats have access to the aisles. In our premium cabin, guests can dine on board whenever they like by choosing from our a la carte menu, which is served by our crew and overseen by a dedicated Food and Beverage Manager. They can also select from over 600 hours of world class entertainment on demand. These and many more innovations are all designed to rekindle the delight of international travel.
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