Etihad orders two Airbus planes

Etihad orders two Airbus planes

"As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with," chief executive James Hogan said in a statement.

October 31, 2012 10:11 by Reuters

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, on Tuesday ordered two additional Airbus A330-200 passenger aircraft in a deal valued at $418 million at current list prices.

The Gulf carrier, which is expanding its network, also converted seven of its previously ordered Airbus A320s to the larger Airbus A321 model.

The A330-200 aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, enough to generate more than 70,000 pounds of thrust and give the aircraft a range of 14,000 km, Etihad said in a statement.

Etihad currently has 16 Airbus A330-200, 6 Airbus A330-300 passenger types and two A330-200 freighters in its fleet of 67 aircraft.

“As our operations and network continue to grow in scale, we feel the A330-200 is the right fleet type to expand with,” chief executive James Hogan said in a statement.

The UAE carrier competes with ked Gulf rivals like Emirates and Qatar Airways, which are all growing their reach into Europe, Asia and other markets.

In 2008 the airline ordered 100 new aircraft and 105 options and purchase rights in one of the largest deals in commercial aviation history.